Evening Yesterday -those four seasons with you-
by Chinnie Ai
Summary: Spring, we awaken from our slumber. Summer, we play in the water and eat ice cream. Autumn, we jump into the leaves that turn orange. Winter, we play in the snow and drink hot chocolate. No matter in which season, let's paint a beautiful painting of Evening Yesterday together. / HaruTaka.
1. Spring -side A: start of school-

**Hello, fellow HaruTaka shippers! Welcome to my new story full of HaruTaka, _Evening Yesterday_! A new chapter for this story will be published on the 15th of every month, and it will go for one full year. The run of this story will be March 15th, 2015 to February 15th, 2016. There will be three chapters for each season, and in each, Haruka and Takane (in some chapters accompanied by Shintaro and Ayano) will do different things corresponding to each season. Each chapter is estimated to be at about 2,000 words(?), so it's not very long. It is HaruTakaness overflow and I hope you will enjoy it.**

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_Tape 1: Spring_

_-side A: start of school-_

_Now reading..._

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Springtime came, which usually meant a new start for many, many school life mangas. Sakura petals swirled around in the sky and flew to the ground. A girl stood in front of the school, clenching her fists and a look of excitement and determination on her face. This, is where everything changes!...

...Just kidding.

That may be the cliché shoujo romance story of the girl beside our heroine, or the one beside her. But no, _that is not Enomoto Takane's story._

_This_ is her story.

Enomoto Takane is one of the only two students of the special class for 'handicapped students'. Although she isn't considered strongly handicapped, her sickness was quite a pain in the neck and therefore it was also hard for her to make friends. So, she was moved to the special class. Takane herself was okay with the fact that she was different from everyone; it, surprisingly, actually didn't bother her much. She passed her days listening to music through her headphones and playing a game called DEAD BULLET -1989-, which she was fairly good at. But that was beside the point. She usually stayed up late, so was always in a bad mood and is said to be one who glares constantly. Her hobbies did not include anything close to what stereotyped normal girls liked, and she certainly never categorized herself as pretty. In short, Enomoto Takane was not like normal girls.

Sighing, she took a few steps into the school. It wasn't like anything would change for her. Same old school, same old classmate (notice that the word 'classmate' is not plural), same old un-responsible teacher... She shook her head. She didn't even bother to look at the class lists, and unlike all the other students who were excited about new classes, she wasn't.

It's not like she would be moved out of the special class, anyways.

Arriving at the door of the classroom, she fixed her clothes and her hair and fidgeted with her fingers almost as a reflex. Snapping back to reality, she mentally kicked herself.

"What am I doing? I'm just entering my classroom. I've nothing to worry about, and nobody I had to look... pretty... in front of..." Her voice got quieter and quieter when she came to the last part of her sentence, a blush spreading across her cheeks. She shook her head and slid open the door. The black haired boy sitting in the opposite seat looked up from his drawing, his face breaking into a huge smile.

This was Kokonose Haruka, the other one of the students of the special class.

"Good morning Takane! Let's get along this year too!" he said. Takane's blush, which had disappeared a few seconds ago, resurfaced. She trudged to her seat and sat down, nodding. Putting on her headphones that weren't connected to anything, she turned her face away from him. Having known him for so long, she knew he wasn't angry. The dense idiot was almost never angry. At least she never saw him angry.

From this, you could probably already tell what kind of person Haruka is. The first word that would come to Takane's mind if someone told her to describe Haruka would be: idiot. He really was an idiot. Not the bad-grades type of idiot, but for the reason of... Hm, what was the reason? Even Takane didn't know. But, Haruka was a happy-go-lucky person who enjoyed drawing. His drawings were top-notch and he most likely would become an artist. But the most important thing to know about him would probably be... his smile. It was as warm as the sunlight and felt like springtime. Takane loved that smile to pieces, but it's not like she would ever admit that.

"Hey, hey, Takane! Look at this!" said Haruka. Takane turned around to see his sketchbook literally shoved in her face. She blinked and took the sketchbook. As soon as she registered what he had drawn into her mind, her face glowed red. The figure of a sleeping girl that looked EXTREMELY SIMILAR TO _HER _was drawn, her face set in a smile and a pair of headphones around her neck.

"I drew you, Takane! How do you like it?" he asked. Takane stuttered and sputtered, but she couldn't get a full sentence to come out. At this moment (perhaps the worst moment?), their teacher, Tateyama Kenjirou, chose to walk into the room. He stared at the two and sighed dramatically.

"You guys are so lovey-dovey so early in the morning. Ah, it's so nice to be young..." he said, sitting down in his seat at the front of the room. At this, Takane's face grew even more heated up. She shot out of her seat and marched over to her teacher.

"Hah?! You know what, sensei, I'll just go tell the principal about all the things you've done -"

"Oh, please don't, Takane! I promise I'll be good and I'll do whatever you say just don't tell the principal!" said Kenjirou, dropping onto his knees and begging. Takane sighed and returned to her seat. Like always, this teacher was useless.

"Takane, you don't like it?" asked Haruka. Oh, crap. She'd forgotten he was still there.

"...I d-don't hate it..." she finally muttered. Haruka's face bloomed into a smile. From his desk, Kenjirou sighed and put his head in his hands.

"You two, _please_ just get married already."

Silence.

Takane shot out of her chair at those words.

"W-W-What?! S-Sensei, you, urgh - !" Takane's mind shut down on her and she couldn't speak normally. Haruka smiled.

"I won't mind if Takane and I were married!" he said.

Oh dear, it'd be an eventful year this year.

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"The single cells in the brain communicate sensations, thoughts and actions through... Oi, Takane, are you getting all this?" asked Kenjirou.

"No, not at all, Sensei. I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about." replied Takane casually, spinning her pencil. Kenjirou sighed.

"Then Haruka, you explain it to her. For some reason, when you explain the work, she understands it. Ah, I feel as if my job as a teacher has failed..." he said.

"It has already failed when you started being so not responsible and infuriating." said Takane.

"Eh? Sensei, are you sure? Won't I be interrupting class then...?" asked Haruka. Kenjirou waved his worries away.

"Naw, I'm pretty much done anyways. Go ahead, Haruka." he said. Haruka nodded. He moved his chair over to Takane's table and started explaining how the brain cells communicate. Takane listened intently, and with Haruka's explaining, she understood what her teacher had been trying to get at for at least ten minutes. Kenjirou set his head on his table and started fake-weeping dramatically.

"Oh dear lord, I am really a failed teacher! Even my student can explain better than me!" he cried. Suddenly, he sat up, his eyes glittering.

"I've got it," he said. "This is the power of LOVE!"

His words brought a red faced Takane and a slightly embarrassed but happy Haruka.

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"...And so that's it for today! Go on, go have lunch, young ones!" said Kenjirou, skipping out of the classroom. Takane watched her teacher's crazy movements, speechless. The silence was broken by Haruka, who had gotten out his boxed lunch excitedly.

"Takane, you're not going to eat?" he asked, already munching on some vegetables. Takane sighed.

"I am, I am." she said, reaching for her boxed lunch and starting to eat. Suddenly, the door slid open, and the two only students of the class looked to see who it was. A girl wearing a red scarf (although they were indoors!) stood, and she looked around.

"Um, is my father here? Oh, I mean, Tateyama-sensei." she asked. Takane blinked and almost jumped out of her chair.

"Y-You're Sensei's daughter?!" she exclaimed. The girl smiled and nodded.

"Yep! I'm Tateyama Ayano, nice to meet you both, senpais!" she said.

"I'm Kokonose Haruka! You can just call me Haruka." said Haruka.

"I'm Enomoto Takane, and, well, I guess you can just call me Takane. If you're looking for Sensei, all we know is that he's not here. He danced out of the room a few minutes ago..." Takane shook her head at the memory.

"Oh, is that so... Then, please tell him that I went to look for him! I -"

"Oi, Ayano, I'm gonna leave you." said a cold male voice. Ayano turned around immediately with a panicked expression.

"Ah, Shintaro, don't leave me! Um, then I shall get going. It was nice meeting you, Takane-san and Haruka-san!" she said, and she ran after the boy.

"Ayano-chan seems like a nice girl." commented Haruka, after a moment of silence. Takane nodded.

"She's probably a freshman... I don't know, considering the fact that we've never been to the other normal classrooms?" she said. Suddenly, she realized her mistake. How did Haruka feel about being in this classroom, separated from normal kids and stuck here with her, living a life nowhere near normal?

"...Haruka, do you really feel happy here?" she asked, her head down. Haruka blinked.

"Of course! Everyday here with Takane is the best I can ever imagine!" he said. Takane sighed.

"You don't have to lie, really... You can just say the truth -"

"I'm not lying." Takane spun around to look at the boy in his eyes. He looked back, smiling but serious at the same time.

"I'm not lying." he repeated. "That's really what I think. These days that I spend with Takane in this classroom are my most treasured memories, and I've been happier than I have ever been in this life. Haha, sometimes I even think that if it means spending time with Takane, having this sickness isn't so bad after all...?" Takane stood up abruptly out of her chair, astonished at the last part of his sentence.

"Idiot! What are you thinking? Aren't you annoyed at how you always have to go to the hospital? When you have attacks? Isn't it painful?" she asked.

"Hm... Not really... But if I don't have this sickness, I wouldn't be such a bother to Takane, right?" he said, his tone suddenly becoming sad. Takane was astonished. She never thought that Haruka would think of himself as a bother to her. She sat back down in her seat.

"...You're not a bother." she said, already feeling the heat rise to her face. Haruka looked at her.

"Is that so... Then I'm reassured!" he said, smiling. Takane immediately faced the other way.

Such a dense idiot.

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As the bell sounded, signalizing the end of the day, Takane stretched.

"Finally over!" she shouted. Haruka smiled at her while getting up out of his seat. He slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Let's go, Takane!" he said. Takane nodded. She took her bag and the both of them headed out of the classroom.

She knew she couldn't deny it. The days in this sunlit classroom with her companion were the best.

On the way home, the orange sun was setting just like usual, painting a beautiful picture of _Evening Yesterday_.

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**Reviews, favorites and follows are always well-appreciated! I love all my readers, and you guys are the best people on the planet. Hope you liked this chapter, and will continue reading the next ones. See you guys on April 15th, 2015!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	2. Spring -side B: sakura-

**Hey guys, it's me! I'm back with a new chapter! ...This chapter might be... not as good... Considering the fact that I've never seen a real cherry blossom tree or did anything here, I can't really write from experience. Oh well, at least I wasn't at a total loss of ideas. Please enjoy!**

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Cherry blossom viewing was a very normal tradition for the Japanese. The Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers was called _hanami_, and although _hana_ simply meant flowers, it is usually in these cases always referring to cherry blossoms. The _sakura_. The practice is many centuries old, and today, people continue this tradition by gathering around wherever the flowering trees are found. This tradition has also spread to other parts of the world outside Japan.

As you can see, cherry blossom viewing was a very important tradition for the Japanese. So, Takane definitely could not miss it, no matter how much she wished to. And furthermore, if it was a plea that she go see it by Haruka... Oh dear lord.

Takane woke up early for once, just like a typical girl who was excited for a date. She quickly reminded herself that this wasn't a date; Haruka merely asked if she had time today to view the cherry blossoms. Yep. They were just going to view the cherry blossoms. Nothing else. Yep. Takane was definitely not excited. She definitely wasn't looking forward to it. Yep.

Oh, who was she kidding? Of course she was excited. It was a trip to view the cherry blossoms **with Haruka**, for god's sake. Just like a date. Of course, however, she wasn't going to admit that to anyone.

She put in her blue backpack an equally blue water bottle, a box with her bento inside that her grandmother made (Takane herself was hopeless at cooking), some snacks, her phone, and, of course, her prized video game portable console. Hey, even though this was an outdoor activity, she imagined that she would have time to play some shooting games.

Takane looked in the full-length mirror at what she was wearing, and wondered if this was okay. Was a black long-sleeved hoodie (that she won from a video game competition and was quite long; it went to her knees), a pair of black tights, and a pair of brown shoes too weird? She shook away her worries. She had spent a long time looking for the right outfit already.

She lung her bag over her shoulder and after saying goodbye to her grandmother, she pushed open the front doors, ahead to a day she expected to be wonderful...

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When she arrived at the front gates of the park, she saw that Haruka was already there. She immediately felt nervous. Was she late? Takane checked the time. She was right on time. She dashed over to Haruka and he, seeing her, waved.

"Hi Takane!" he said, smiling. Takane blushed.

"...Did you wait for a long time?" she finally asked. Haruka shook his head, a lighthearted laugh escaping his throat.

"Nope, I just got here too." he said. "Come on, let's go!" He took her by the hand and walked into the park. Takane's blush deepened, but didn't say anything. She simply closed her eyes and absorbed the warmth of his hand.

The park was bustling with people everywhere. Couples, families and friends were spread around near the blooming cherry blossom trees.

Takane looked around and instantly felt herself amazed at the sudden burst of color she saw in her view. The pink cherry blossoms, dainty little things they were, swayed slightly in the light breeze. The beautiful pink petals from the flowers fell at the tug of the wind and swirled, as if they were dancing like ballerinas in their pink leotards. Accompanied with Haruka's smile and excitement and the warmth that flowed out of his hand, the scene was perfect. She couldn't help but smile.

They approached the fields and saw that many groups have set out their picnic areas already. Takane saw a group of three sitting together, two boys and a girl. The boy with dark blue hair looked the same age as the high school brunette, while the other boy was much younger, perhaps 13 or 14 years old. Takane oddly thought that they were a family of three with her first glance. She then realized that it was because the older two looked like a couple. Would she and Haruka seem like a couple to outsiders...?

Takane quickly shook her head. What was she thinking! They were just friends. Nothing else. At this, she was surprised to find herself feeling slightly sad.

"Takane?" She was pulled out of her thoughts by Haruka, tilting his head at her silence. She looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"You were spacing out for a bit. Are you okay?" he asked. Takane nodded.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine." she said. Haruka smiled.

"Then let's set up our area! Ah, how about over there?" he asked, pointing at the base of a single cherry blossom tree. Takane glanced at it and felt amazed. It was a big tree, with blossoms falling down like cherry blossom rain. She wondered why nobody had claimed this wonderful spot.

They set out the picnic sheet and they sat down next to each other. Haruka took a camera, one of those professional-looking ones, and took snaps at the cherry blossoms. Takane simply took out her phone and took a few pictures.

"The cherry blossoms are so pretty, Takane! April's definitely the season to come and see them! Right?" he asked, turning excitedly to her. Takane nodded, trying to maintain her usual expression, but inside, she was almost as excited as Haruka. She was brought back to the present by the noise of Haruka looking through his backpack. He got out packs and packs of snacks. He opened a pack of chips and started munching on them gluttonously. He must have noticed Takane staring at him, because he held out the bag and offered it to her.

"Pass, 'cause I'm on a diet." said Takane, sighing. Haruka pouted.

"Ehh? But eating is one of life's biggest joys! Have some, Takane!" he said. Takane tried resisting those puppy eyes for a few seconds, before giving in.

"If I gain too much weight, it's all your fault." she said, before digging her hand into the bag. Haruka simply smiled. Takane poured two cups of tea and handed a cup to Haruka.

"Thanks, Takane!" he said, taking the cup and drinking the contents. His face lit up and he turned to Takane.

"It's good!" he said, smiling. Takane blushed. His smile, as warm as the sun, accompanying the falling cherry blossom petals made her heart race. She turned away to hide her blush.

Idiot...

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Lunchtime soon came, and Haruka excitedly took out his bento from his bag. Takane glanced at it and raised her eyebrow in amazement.

"Although I've known this for a long time already, Haruka, you really do eat a lot..." she said, sighing. Haruka glanced at her.

"Really? This isn't a lot at all!" he said, already munching on a sandwich. Takane sighed. She took out her own bento and started eating it.

"Can I have a bit of this?" he asked. Takane turned around to see Haruka take one of her pieces of meat.

"Mm, this is good!" he said. Takane blushed. She mentally slapped herself. What was wrong with her today, blushing all the time? She quickly shook away her thoughts and took out her video game console from her bag. She turned it on and selected a shooting game.

"Hm? What's this game?" asked Haruka, moving closer to Takane to see the game. Takane's face heated up at his contact.

"It's another shooting game." said Takane. Haruka's face lit up.

"Awesome!" he said. "Show me how to play!" Takane started the game and after a few minutes, she aced it. She glanced at Haruka, and was surprised to see his eyes almost shine from amazement.

"That was so cool! Takane, you're really good at this!" he said. Takane blushed.

"...Thanks." she said.

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"Today was so fun!" said Haruka while packing up their things. Their session at the park had ended, and they were heading home. Takane nodded.

"Takane, there's one thing I'd like to do." he said. Takane turned to look at him. Haruka smiled timidly.

"I want to take a picture with Takane with the cherry blossom trees in the background..." he said, looking a bit embarrassed.

"You mean... Like a selfie?" she asked. Haruka nodded.

"Is that... Okay...?" he asked. Takane nodded. Haruka's mouth widened into a smile. He quickly took out his phone and opened the camera. He moved closer to Takane and adjusted the view so that the cherry blossoms were shown in the background. Takane thought about what had happened today, and she smiled, a smile from the bottom of her heart.

"3, 2, 1...!" he said, and he pressed the 'capture' button, and the moment was forever captured.

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**Reviews, favorites and follows are well-appreciated, and I hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter! See you on May 15th, 2015!**

**P.S. Did anyone realize the fact that the three people that "appeared in a cameo" in this chapter were Hiyori, Yato and Yukine from _Noragami_? XD**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	3. Spring -side C: amusement park-

**Hello ~ I am back with a new chapter! It's now May 15th, and two months have passed since I've uploaded the first chapter and I don't even know how many months since I've first come up with this idea! Well, then, enjoy the update ~**

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By the looks of things currently, it had occurred to Takane that she might only have one friend in high school, the time that was supposed to be the best of anyone's life, and that friend would be her only classmate: Haruka Kokonose. Though dense and an airhead, Haruka was great company and was able to comfort her when she felt down. She got used to having him around, so used to it that she couldn't imagine life without him.

It took her by surprise when in the last month of spring, she gained two more friends. Well, maybe one and a half. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to consider that Kisaragi boy her friend. Her two new friends were two first-years, so she didn't really see them much. Well. On second thought, it wasn't like they saw any second-years often either. However, now her and Haruka's lunchtimes were filled with more laughter and talking. Takane and Haruka would now take their lunches outside and sit with their new friends.

Ayano Tateyama was a sweet and kind girl who would always wear a red scarf around her neck, despite the temperature rising day by day. Takane had asked her about it, and Ayano replied with a huge smile on her face and glittering eyes: "Because red is the color of heroes!". Speaking of heroes, Ayano had a huge obsession with them. She LOVED heroes. Ayano was also the older sister to two brothers and a sister. Ayano was always quite cheerful, which reminded Takane of Haruka of sometimes.

Shintaro Kisaragi, on the other hand, was an asshole. Takane didn't understand why Ayano stuck around such a guy. Ayano was cute, so she definitely could have found someone better (not that the two were going out or anything, but Takane suspected something between them). He was rude, infuriating, and he was always so mean to Ayano. Also, he kept on beating Takane in the various video games she played, something she obviously wasn't happy about. But that wasn't the main point she's trying to make. The main point is that Shintaro Kisaragi is a bastard. However, Ayano didn't seem to think so. She found Shintaro to "surprisingly be cute in some areas" (even just thinking these words made Takane hold the urge to vomit).

But she had to admit, she did have fun with them. They were having lunch one day when Ayano stepped forward with an idea.

"Let's all go to the amusement park together!" she said. Shintaro raised his eyebrows at Ayano. Takane glanced at Ayano, her mouth open. Haruka, however, looked extremely excited.

"Well, 'cause there's a new amusement park open, right? So I thought we could all go together!" Ayano explained, looking slightly frantic. Haruka's eyes shined with excitement.

"That sounds really fun! I would definitely go!" said Haruka. Takane sighed.

"I guess I'll go as well, then." she said. Ayano beamed.

"Great! Then how about this Saturday? We'll meet at 10 AM!" she said. Takane and Haruka nodded. Shintaro put down his coke can on the table and he looked at her.

"What makes you think I'll go?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. Everyone turned to look at him. Ayano pouted.

"Oh, come on, Shintaro! It's so close to your house!" she said. Takane raised her eyebrow. Something about that sentence seemed wrong.

"Wait, does that mean you've been to his house, Ayano?" she asked. Silence fell over the group. Haruka looked at Takane, confused. Ayano's face burned red, and even Shintaro, who was usually cool and showed not many emotions, blushed.

"Oh, n-no! I mean, we walk home together, so I know which direction his house is in, so I, um, slightly guessed, and -" Takane couldn't help herself. She started laughing.

"Okay, okay, we get it. Now, Saturday at 10 in the morning, right? I'll be there."

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"Ah, Takane-san! Over here!" shouted Ayano, waving at Takane as soon as she entered the park area. Takane looked up and saw that Haruka and Ayano had arrived already. Ayano was wearing a beautiful white dress and, of course, her red scarf. Haruka was wearing a white hoodie and black pants that reached a little below his knees. Takane ran to them, and they smiled at her.

"Good morning, Takane!" said Haruka. Takane looked away.

"Good -" The words she conjured up were swallowed back down. Ayano smiled.

"Shintaro should be here soon. It's almost ten o'clock." she said. Takane sighed.

"The bastard could be late." she pointed out. Ayano shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. It's not that likely he would be. Although Shintaro can have flaws in many areas, I don't think he would go against a promise." she said, smiling.

"You don't know about that." said Takane under her breath, but decided not to argue. Ayano could continue being immersed in her pink shoujo dreams. Takane didn't want to be a dream-destroyer.

"Ah, he's here!" said Ayano, after a few moments. Indeed, a figure wearing a red jacket was walking towards them.

"You're too slow! How dare you make Ayano-chan wait!" said Takane. Ayano blushed bright red.

"I-It's fine, I-I wouldn't have minded about waiting, really..." said Ayano. Takane stared at both of them, and sighed.

"Alright then." she said grudgingly. Haruka looked at them excitedly.

"Let's go in, then!" he said, taking Takane's hand.

"Wai-" Takane didn't get to finish her sentence before she got pulled towards the gates of the park. Ayano and Shintaro followed behind. They put their tickets through the machine, and they entered the park.

"I've never been to an amusement park before!" said Haruka. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"We're going to have a lot of fun! Be ready for it, Shintaro!" said Ayano, smiling at her friend. "Let's go to the roller coasters first! Haruka-san, you're sure you won't have a problem with going on a roller coaster, right?" Haruka nodded.

"Yep! I've asked the doctor, and he said it was no problem!" he said. "I'll be looking forward to it! My first roller coaster ride..." He trailed off, his eyes shining as he imagined. Takane sighed. Haruka was like a little kid getting exactly what he wanted. She turned and when she saw Shintaro's expression, she gave a leap of fright.

"You-You said a roller coaster?" he said, stuttering. Ayano, who hadn't realized there was a problem, nodded, smiling.

"Yep! This park's most famous attraction is the 'Big Deadly Loop Through Hell'!" she said, pointing to a roller coaster in the distance that consisted of quick swerves, many loops in a row, and quick drops. The people on the current compartment were screaming as they shot along the tracks. Takane gulped. It seemed fun, but just slightly dangerous. She had been on roller coasters quite a lot before, but this was the most dangerous she had even seen so far. Shintaro, however, wasn't simply scared. His whole face was as white as paper and his eyes were dark, as if he had lost his soul. His arms and legs looked wobbly, as if he could fall down any moment. Realization hit Takane like a bolt of lightning. Shintaro Kisaragi was afraid of roller coasters.

"Hey, Kisaragi, is there a problem?" she asked smugly. Shintaro gulped.

"No, not at all." he replied, his expression giving him away. Takane smiled smugly. Such a stubborn kid.

"Then let's go!" said Ayano excitedly, grabbing Shintaro and pulling him to the line, which was surprisingly short. "It's early, so there isn't a lot of people in line! We're so lucky! Last time I came with my siblings, we had to wait in such a long line!" The line was getting shorter by the second, and soon it became their turn. They stepped into the compartment and pulled down the safety structure from above their heads. Shintaro's hands were still shaking, and he still didn't look fine. Perhaps it was because Ayano had insisted that they sit in the front.

The roller coaster started on its ascent and with every second, it was getting closer to the top, and with every second, Shintaro's pathetic curses and yells were getting louder and louder. Takane laughed. This was the perfect chance to get back at the bastard who kept beating her in the games that _she_ ruled. Silently, Takane took out her phone from her pocket and pressed the record button.

"Takane, what are you doing?" asked Haruka quietly. Takane gave a smile, and put her finger to her lips. Haruka nodded, and for some reason (Takane didn't know if she was mistaken or not), his cheeks were dyed a faint red. However, Takane quickly forgot her confusion when she looked back in front of her, because they were extremely close to the top of the hill. Takane braced herself, remembering the feeling she had felt many times when she went on roller coasters.

Oh, how glad she was about coming when they shot down the hill. Her heart soared and rose to the top of her throat, and she shut her eyes. Wind blew through her hair, messing it up, but she didn't care. She could hear Haruka screaming beside her, but it wasn't a scream of terror. It was a scream of pure happiness. She, too, had let out a scream involuntarily. Her grip on the leather tightened as they flew across the tracks. She opened her eyes and saw that they were near the loop now. In front of her, Ayano was screaming and laughing, her hair and scarf flying. Shintaro, on the other hand, was the opposite. He was screaming and yelling and thrashing his arms, dropping curses like grenades. That scream must have been the most pathetic Takane had ever heard in her entire life. Takane praised herself for recording the ride.

The roller coaster made a sudden dip, and it touched water beneath. The clear liquid spew up all around them, resulting in the quartet having many droplets of water on their clothes, in their hair, and on their faces. Haruka laughed as the water flew towards them.

The ride soon came to an end after a few more loops and turns. Takane stretched as she stepped off the compartment, followed by a beaming Haruka.

"That was so fun! What did you think, Takane?" he asked. Takane smiled, being honest for a change.

"That was awesome!" she said. Suddenly, they heard a yelp from behind them, distinctly Ayano's voice. They turned around to see Ayano shaking an... Almost dead Shintaro. His face was not pale anymore, but a greenish color.

"Shintaro-kun! Are you okay?!" asked Haruka, running over, worried. Takane also ran over. They managed to lug Shintaro over to a nearby bench, lying him down. Shintaro's head lulled back, looking lifeless.

"Shintaro!" shouted Ayano, looking almost near tears. Shintaro managed to choke out a few words.

"Roller coasters... Worst... Dying..." Takane silently pressed the stop recording button. She didn't want to go too far.

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Shintaro recovered a few minutes afterwards, after drinking four cans of soft drinks. His recovery brought the happiness of Ayano, who threw her arms around him in happiness, only to pull away a few seconds later after realizing what she did, red-faced. They immediately went to buy some snacks, under the request of Haruka, obviously. Takane bit into her cotton candy and savored the sweet flavor.

"Ah, Takane's cotton candy looks good!" said Haruka, and without waiting for a reply, he took a bite of _her_ cotton candy. Takane's face flushed redder and redder by the second. Shintaro looked at her smugly, as if silently mocking her. Takane felt the urge to punch the guy.

However, she thought she would spare the guy from torture. Come on, the roller coaster was enough torture for him.

She looked up to the sky. Today had been fun, and she would never have imagined a day out with friends would be something that she would ever experience.

But alas, everything does come to an end. They soon had to say their goodbyes for the day.

"Let's have something like this again!" said Takane. Ayano smiled and nodded.

"Of course! I'll invite everyone! Shintaro, too! You have to come again! We've had so much fun today!" said Ayano. Shintaro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and go on that trip to hell again. No way." he said. Takane grinned.

"Aw, but you enjoyed Ayano-chan hugging you back to life, didn't you?" she said slyly.

"W-What! N-No?" he said. Takane laughed.

"Alright, then. You don't have to admit it if you're too embarrassed, we all know it's true." she said.

"Enomoto, I swear -"

"Alright, alright! Don't fight!" said Haruka. "I had lots of fun! Thank you for taking me along!"

"What are you talking about, Haruka? We'll definitely bring you along!..." said Takane, then blushing when thinking of what she had said.

"Well, I've gotta go. One of the anime series that I'm following this season is gonna air in ten minutes." said Shintaro, glancing at his phone.

"Ah, I need to go too. See you guys at school!" said Ayano, waving. After a few seconds, Haruka looked at Takane and smiled.

"Let's go, Takane!"

* * *

**Did you like this chapter? Let me know through your reviews! See you on June 15th, my birthday!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	4. Summer -side A: beach-

**Hello guys ~ Today's my birthday and I've brought you guys a special long(er) chapter! :D I really hope you guys enjoy it, and I really have done a lot to this chapter to make it better. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Tape 2: Summer_

_-side A: beach-_

_Now reading..._

* * *

Summertime came, and the warm weather soon grew hotter and hotter, and the heat grew to an almost unbearable temperature. Takane was sprawled on her desk, her cheek flat against the cool wooden texture of the table. They had changed into their summer uniforms, and Takane counted the days until vacation. This year, she was unusually excited for summer vacation. Kenjirou had just informed her that she didn't have to come to review sessions this summer because her grades were improving. Obviously, this was with Haruka's help.

Today was the last day of school before summer vacation. Takane had stared at the pile of homework she was given for the summer in the morning during homeroom. She had looked at Kenjirou incredulously.

"You expect us to finish all this during summer vacation?" she asked. Kenjirou nodded.

"Come on, this is nothing!" he said. Takane slapped her palms onto the desk.

"How is this nothing?! This is a freaking lot, do you know that, Sensei?!" she shouted. Haruka laughed nervously.

"Oh, Takane, I'm sure Haruka will help you during summer vacation. You guys are going to see each other, anyways." said Kenjirou. Takane had noticed something weird about that sentence, but she wasn't sure what.

Now, Takane and Haruka were sitting in their seats, not saying anything and holding the silence. Finally, Haruka broke it.

"Hey, Takane, do you want to go to the beach?" he asked. Takane sat up in her chair immediately. The beach?!

"W-Well, since the weather's now warm enough, I thought maybe we could go together... Uh, I'll invite Shintaro and Ayano too..." Haruka added. Takane slumped back down, hiding her face.

"W-Whatever you want..." she said. She could already sense Haruka's face bloom into a big smile beside her without even looking at him.

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"We're definitely going!" shouted Ayano, her eyes shining when Haruka told her of the trip to the beach. Takane had to back away a few scoots from the super-excited Ayano to ensure her safety. Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"Who's 'we'?" he asked. Ayano turned to him, confused.

"You and me, of course." she said. Shintaro made a shocked face.

"What?! You're telling me to drive out of my wonderful air-conditioned room to a beach out of town miles away with probably no wifi? No thanks! I was excited for summer vacation, and now you're just gonna ruin that?!" he shouted. Takane raised an eyebrow.

"You're gonna bring your computer, phone, and a wifi thing with you anyways, aren't you? And Kisaragi, you get **excited** for things? Whoa there, that's not the Kisaragi Shintaro I know!" she said. Shintaro merely rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Shintaro! Would you come with us, please? _Please?_" she asked. Shintaro was obviously defenseless against Ayano's perfect puppy dog eyes. He looked as if he was about give her a firm 'no', but his words were forced back with her watering eyes.

"...Oh fine! I get it! I'll go, okay?" he shouted. Ayano smiled.

"Great! Then it's decided!" she said.

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Takane arrived at the railway station early. Her clothes were of a different style compared to her normal style. She was wearing a white dress that reached her knees with blue linings and white sandals. She also wore a hat made of straw with a blue ribbon. She wore her blue one piece swim suit underneath so she didn't have to waste any time changing. Something worth note of was that her hair was no longer in her usual twintails; it was let down. Her style was quite girlish, and her whole aura changed.

She glanced at her watch. Was she there too early?

"Ah, Takane-san! Sorry for the wait!" Takane looked up and saw Ayano and Shintaro walking towards her. Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the change in style, Enomoto?" he asked. Ayano gave him a look.

"Why do you sound weirded out, Shintaro? I think Takane-san looks beautiful today!" said Ayano. Takane looked away, bashful.

"T-Thanks..." she said quietly.

"Ah, there's Haruka-senpai." said Shintaro. Sure enough, there was Haruka, running (despite always being told not to run!) up the steps to the platform. He stopped at the top, panting slightly.

"Good morning, everyone! Sorry I'm late!" he said, walking up to them. He stopped when he laid his eyes on Takane, and a blush spread over his cheeks. Embarrassed, Takane looked down at her toes. Ayano seemed to notice something, and she giggled.

"...Good morning, Takane!" said Haruka finally. Takane nodded. She looked back up and saw that he was smiling.

"You look very pretty today, Takane." he said. Takane's face flushed. She didn't know what to do. She had the urge to go up to him and pinch his cheeks for saying something so embarrassing, but she was so... Happy.

"Oi, the train's here." said Shintaro, breaking the silence. They climbed onto the train and sat down in chairs together. After a few minutes, the train started moving along at quite a fast pace.

"Hey, Shintaro! Don't just look at your phone!" said Ayano. Shintaro, who was sitting next to her, looked up from the webpage he was browsing.

"Then what do you want me to do?" he asked. Ayano snatched the smartphone out of his hands and ignored his angry protests.

"No phones! This is why your social abilities are bad, Shintaro! You should talk more to people! Come on, let's play cards! I brought them along!" she said, taking a deck of cards out of her bag. She shuffled the cards and set them down.

"Okay, what do you guys want to play?" asked Ayano. Everyone shrugged. "Hmm... You guys know Turtle?" Haruka and Shintaro nodded, but Takane shook her head.

"I'll teach you!" said Ayano excitedly. She took the black-and-white joker out of the deck and passed out one card to everyone until there were none left. "Okay, so everyone has their cards! Now, look at them. We'll go clockwise, and I'll start! First, I'll ask the person next to me, in this case Takane-san, if they have cards with a certain number on it. If she has any, she will give all of them to me and I will put it down if I have four of the same number in the four suits. If she doesn't have that number I say, I will take a card from her. And you've gotta tell the truth! Okay, Takane-san, do you have any 7s?" Takane looked at her cards and saw that she had one 7. She handed the 7 over to Ayano and Ayano's face lit up. She took the 7 and put it with her cards.

"When you have a pile of four of the same number cards, you set them down apart from your other cards! The objective is to get rid of all your cards and get them into piles of same number cards! The person who gets rid of all their cards first wins, and the person who has the colorful joker in the end looses. Do you get it, Takane-san?" asked Ayano. Takane nodded.

"I guess so." she said. Shintaro sighed.

"It's a really stupid game, but the good part is that you could trick people in the process." he said. "Now let's start already." Takane glared at him. She turned to Haruka, who was sitting next to her.

"Haruka, do you have any 4s?" she asked. Haruka shook his head, smiling. Takane sighed and took a card from Haruka's cards that he held out. It was a nine. She put it with her cards and turned back to the game.

"Shintaro-kun, any 2s?" asked Haruka. Shintaro handed over a 2.

"Ayano, any 5s?" asked Shintaro. Ayano handed over a 5.

"Takane-san, any 4s?" asked Ayano. Takane looked at her cards and nodded. She had two. Gritting her teeth, she handed them over to Ayano.

"Haruka, any Jacks?" asked Takane. Haruka handed over a Jack.

"Shintaro-kun, any 5s?" he asked. Shintaro handed over three 5s.

"Senpai, you really got me there." he said through gritted teeth. Takane suddenly realized Shintaro had gotten a 5 from Ayano, so Haruka knew that Shintaro had at least one 5. She smiled, suddenly pumped. This game was getting real now.

"Ayano, 4s?" asked Shintaro. Ayano handed over her three 4s, pouting. Shintaro, smiling confidently, put down his first pile of 4s. Takane slammed her palms onto the desk.

"Wha-" she started, staring at him. Shintaro looked at her smugly. Takane sighed. There was no way this boy was going to win. In his dreams was she going to let him win.

"Takane-san, any 7s?" asked Ayano. Takane shook her head. Ayano sighed and took a card from Takane. It was an 8.

"Haruka, any 5s?" asked Takane, grinning madly. Haruka let out a cry of defeat and handed over his three 5s. Takane set down her first pile, grinning madly at Shintaro.

"Shintaro-kun, any 2s?" asked Haruka. Shintaro shook his head and Haruka pulled a card from his.

"Ayano, 7s?" asked Shintaro, holding out his hand already. Ayano, pouting, handed over three 7s. Grinning, Shintaro set down his second deck. Takane glared at him.

"Takane-san, any Jacks?" asked Ayano. Nodding, Takane gave Ayano her three Jacks, and Ayano put down her first pile.

"Haruka, any 2s?" asked Takane. Haruka handed over three 2s.

"Shintaro-kun, any Kings?" asked Haruka. Shintaro handed over a King.

"Ayano, 6s?" asked Shintaro. Ayano handed over a 6.

"Takane-san, any 2s?" asked Ayano. Takane wondered if there was a demon hiding under that angelic face of Ayano's. Takane handed over three 2s, and Ayano had her second pile down.

"Haruka, any Kings?" asked Takane. Haruka handed over three Kings and Takane set down her second deck. The game was tense. With Haruka having no piles and the rest of them both at two piles, the game wasn't going in a great direction for Haruka. Takane was a bit worried about Haruka now. Haruka, however, was smiling and enjoying himself.

"Shintaro-kun, any 6s?" asked Haruka, smiling. Shintaro sighed and gave Haruka his three 6s. Haruka finally had his first pile down.

"Ayano, 3s?" asked Shintaro. Ayano handed over one 3.

"Takane-san, any 8s?" asked Ayano. Takane shook her head and Ayano sighed. She took a card from Takane. It was a 9. Takane sighed. She had two 9s before, and now she only had one.

"Haruka, any 10s?" asked Takane. Haruka handed over one 10. Takane giggled. Now she had three 10s.

"Shintaro-kun, any 3s?" asked Haruka. Shintaro gave Haruka two 3s.

"Ayano, 8s?" asked Shintaro. Ayano gave him two 8s.

"Takane-san, any 10s?" asked Ayano, smiling. Takane was now sure that Ayano was a demon in disguise. Sighing, Takane handed over her three 10s, and Ayano put down her third pile. Ayano was in the lead now, with Takane and Shintaro following behind tied, and Haruka last. Looking at her cards, Takane sighed. She had an A, a 9, and a 3. Thinking hard, she tried to remember what cards Haruka had wanted from Shintaro before.

"...Haruka, any 3s?" asked Takane. Haruka sighed and gave her three 3s. Takane grinned and set down her third pile. She was now tied with Ayano at first place!

"Shintaro-kun, any 8s?" asked Haruka. Shintaro gave him his three 8s and Haruka was now able to put down his second pile. The game was getting even more tense now.

"Ayano, Queens?" asked Shintaro. Ayano gave him two Queens.

"Takane-san, any 9s?" asked Ayano. Takane nodded and gave her her only 9. Takane glanced at the only card left in her hand. It was an Ace.

"Haruka, any Aces?" asked Takane. Haruka handed her an Ace.

"Shintaro-kun, any Queens?" asked Haruka. Shintaro handed him his three Queens, sighing. Haruka put down his third pile.

"Ayano, 9s?" asked Shintaro. Shoulders slumping, Ayano handed over her three 9s.

"Takane-san, any 9s?" asked Ayano. Takane shook her head and held out her cards. Ayano took one. It was one of her Aces.

"Haruka, any Aces?" asked Takane. Haruka shook his head and held out his cards. Takane closed her eyes and took one. She opened her eyes again and almost forgot her poker face. It was the Joker. Oh, the damned Joker. She was going to loose if she didn't get rid of it or her cards first.

"Shintaro-kun, any Aces?" asked Haruka. Shintaro gave him one Ace.

"Ayano, 9s?" asked Shintaro. Ayano shook her head. Shintaro took a card from her.

"Takane-san, any Aces?" asked Ayano. Takane gave her the Ace, and she sighed. She was left with the Joker. Oh shit, she might loose here.

"Haruka, any 9s?" asked Takane. She got one 9.

"Shintaro-kun, any Aces?" asked Haruka. He got one Ace.

"Ayano, Aces?" asked Shintaro. He got an Ace.

"Takane-san, any Aces?" asked Ayano. Takane shook her head. She closed her eyes and started praying in her mind. _Please get the Joker, please get the Joker, please get the Joker... _She opened her eyes and saw that Ayano's mouth had dropped open. Takane looked at her own cards and saw that she had a nine, not a Joker. She had the urge to jump and yell "YES!", but that would disturb the other guests on the train.

"Haruka, any 9s?" said Takane. She takes a card.

"Shintaro-kun, any Aces?" asked Haruka. He gets the card.

"Ayano, 9s?" asked Shintaro. Ayano shook her head and Shintaro took a card. As he looked at the card, his whole expression became darker. Takane had the urge of taking a picture or laughing, because with no doubt, he had just gotten the Joker.

"Takane-san, any Aces?" asked Ayano, trying not to laugh out loud. She receives the card.

"Haruka, any 9s?" asked Takane. She takes a card.

"Shintaro-kun, any 9s?" Haruka asked. He gets the card.

"Ayano, 9s?" asked Shintaro. He takes a card.

"Takane-san, any Aces?" Ayano asked. She gets the card.

"Haruka, any 9s?" asked Takane. Smiling, Haruka gave her three. Takane looked at the cards she held. She had a pile. She slowly set it down and looked at everyone. There was a silence.

"I WON! I BEAT YOU GUYS! HA! BEAT THAT, KISARAGI!" shouted Takane, shooting off of her chair. Shintaro glared at her and stood up.

"Just fucking shut up, Enomoto!" he yelled.

"Uhm, Shintaro-kun, any Aces?" asked Haruka, smiling nervously. Shintaro slammed the card onto the desk in an area next to Haruka, and giving one last glare at Takane, he sat down.

The game ended soon, with Takane in first place and Haruka and Ayano both second place, however Ayano would have been considered winner if this was an official game. Shintaro came in last, sadly, holding the Joker. Just as Shintaro was about to give a piece of his mind to Takane, who was laughing madly, the train stopped. Everyone looked out the window.

"We're here! We're here, Shintaro!" shouted Ayano, grabbing Shintaro by the arm.

"We're here, Takane!" shouted Haruka excitedly.

"Okay! Okay, I get it!" shouted Shintaro, trying to shake off an excited Ayano. Everyone took their belongings and stepped out of the train. Haruka took a big stretch.

"Are you guys all ready? We're hitting the beach!" shouted Ayano. Everyone else nodded. Takane smiled inwardly. Today's gonna be awesome!

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"It's the beach!" shouted Ayano, eyes glittering as they scanned over the current panorama. The sand was fine and it glittered golden; the clear blue waves splashed onto the sand and their toes, cold yet not icy. The quartet had their swim suits on and were ready to swim!... All except one.

"Hey, Shintaro! Didn't I say no phones allowed?" said Ayano, pouting, when she saw Shintaro settle down under an umbrella with his phone, obviously already connected to the wifi or using his own cellular data. Shintaro glanced up, his expression unreadable.

"...I thought you meant only in the train?" he managed to say.

"Of course not! I mean for today! And for the days to come!" said Ayano. Shintaro looked at her with an expression of nothing but shock.

"Come on, you should be building bridges! We're all friends, aren't we? You should talk to all of us more!" said Ayano.

"I'm pretty well off building bridges with my phone, thank you very much. And do you know how much the sun's UV rays can hurt a hikkiNEET's skin? They're very delicate beings, you know..." While Shintaro was rambling on something that would might as well be written into a college essay on why he shouldn't be talking to his, ahem, _friends_, Takane was busy getting her water gun out of her bag and filling it up. Haruka noticed what she was doing and cocked his head to one side. Takane held up a finger to her mouth, signalizing for him to not make any noise. He nodded, looking amused and excited. After the water gun was full of water, Takane walked calmly up to her arch-nemesis. She had no need to worry about him seeing her approach, since he was too busy looking at his phone. Takane giggled. Oh, how interesting is _this_ going to be!

"Hey, Shittaro!" Takane called out, and Shintaro looked up with a raged expression.

"What do you fucking want, Enomoto -" His words were met with a blast of water that shot from Takane's prized water gun, and Takane watched as her enemy just sat there, soaking in water with a shocked and pissed expression.

"...Enomoto I fucking swear, if any water gets into my phone or my laptop, I will fucking kill you!" shouted Shintaro, standing up. Takane smiled slyly.

"Why? You're scared of your _prized pictures _becoming lost and having to look for them all over again?" she asked, grinning. She enjoyed the heck out of the change of expression of Shintaro Kisaragi: from anger to fear.

"H-How do you - I don't - What -" he sputtered. "Those folders are locked!"

"Well, maybe if you change your password into something more creative, instead of 'not working', maybe that will help." said Takane.

"U-Um... What are you guys talking about?" asked Haruka. Ayano sighed.

"Shintaro, just come on! It's rare that we can go out to a beach with everyone together! Seize this chance to have fun!" she said. When Shintaro still sat there without moving, she walked over and pulled Shintaro over to the sea.

"Come on, Shintaro! It'd be fun!" she said. Grumbling, Shintaro gave in to his friend (obviously Takane expected they were more than that) and swam out.

"We should go too, Takane!" said Haruka, smiling. Takane glanced at him. He looked so excited. It made her happy as well.

"But can you swim? You do have a condition, you know..." she said. Haruka smiled.

"No problem! I asked my doctor and he said it was all OK! Now let's go!" he said, taking Takane's hand and pulling her to the waves. Takane smiled.

It wouldn't hurt to just have a little bit of fun, would it?

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"Ah~! That was really fun~! But I'm hungry now..." said Haruka. Takane sighed.

"You're always hungry!" she said.

"But it is time for lunch, so let's go get some food!" said Ayano. The quartet walked out of the sea and took their towels and dried themselves.

"Oh, let's go to that shop over there! Their fried noodles look really good!" said Haruka, pointing to a small restaurant not far away. They walked over to the shop and chose a seat and sat down. They ordered their food and drinks and settled down.

"Shintaro-kun, you always drink coke, don't you?" asked Haruka. Shintaro hadn't ordered an ice cream soda like Takane and Ayano or a glass of orange juice like Haruka, but a huge can of coke. Shintaro looked up from the desk (he couldn't look at his phone, since it was taken away from Ayano).

"It's quite good." he said. Takane sighed.

"Yes, yes, we know about your love with coke." she said. "No need to tell us again." Shintaro could give no retort to that. Their drinks and dishes came after a few minutes and everyone tucked in. Takane tasted her fried noodles. Haruka was right. They _were _really good.

"It's good..." Takane said quietly, unable to help herself. Haruka smiled at her.

"Right? It is really good!" he said. Takane looked away, cheeks slightly coloring.

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Takane was swimming around in the sea when Haruka returned, waving at them, holding a huge watermelon.

"Let's play **suikawari**!" he said, holding it up for everyone to see. Ayano's eyes seemed to light up.

"That's a great idea! Let's play, everyone!" she said. Shintaro shrugged and Takane nodded.

"Sure." They both said. Takane looked at Shintaro, surprised.

"Weren't you really against being socially active?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Shintaro sighed.

"I don't think Ayano would let me be antisocial, so I guess I have to." he said. Inside her head, Takane was laughing. That was pretty cute, to be honest. The quartet stood next to each other, staring at the huge watermelon in front of them.

"I'll go first!" said Ayano, looking excited. Haruka passed her the wooden stick and the blindfold. Ayano took a few steps back and blindfolded herself. She picked up the stick and took a few wobbly steps forward. She raised the stick above her head and swung it down with all her might. It hit just a few centimeters away from the watermelon. Ayano took off the blindfold and sighed.

"I was never really good at this, haha." she said.

"Come on, hold faith in yourself!" said Takane. Ayano smiled and handed Takane the stick. Takane took a few steps back and blindfolded herself. She took a deep breath. She remembered the direction she walked in, and how many steps she took back, so she should be okay going back the same way. Takane walked forward and swung at the watermelon. She heard a _splat_ as the stick hit the watermelon. She took off her blindfold and saw that she had cut off about a third of the watermelon.

"Whoa, you're so good, Takane!" exclaimed Haruka. Takane smiled, feeling a sudden wave of satisfaction. Shintaro was up next. He took a swing that was so accurate that it hit the exact center of the watermelon. However, Shintaro had too less strength, so there was only a small crack on the watermelon. Takane tried not to burst into laughter.

"Shut up, Enomoto! I'm not as physically active as you guys!" he shouted when he took off his blindfold. Haruka was next. He did the same as the others before him, blindfolded himself, took a few steps back, and took a well-aimed strike at the watermelon. It broke into chunks and fell apart. Haruka took off his blindfold and his eyes seemed to glitter with happiness.

"I hit it! I hit it! Takane, I hit it!" he shouted, turning to her with a smile that warmed her heart.

"Congrats." she said.

"Now, let's eat!" said Ayano. Haruka didn't need to be told to do so. He was already diving towards the pieces of juicy watermelon.

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As the sun was setting and the whole sky was dyed a bright, beautiful orange, the quartet stepped onto the train and headed home. Takane looked out the window and saw the scenery of the sea speeding away from them. She wouldn't forget the fun they had today, ever.

She suddenly felt something fall onto her shoulder. She looked around and saw that Haruka had fallen asleep on her shoulder. Her face burned scarlet for a second, but after she calmed down and got over the shock, she smiled.

...Well, this would be nice sometimes.

* * *

**Reviews, favorites, and follows are always loved! Hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one! See you guys on July 15th, 2015!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	5. Summer -side B: summer festival-

**Good morning and evening, ladies and gentlemen, here I am with the next chapter. Time zones are a bit messed up right now for me because I'm in America for vacation, so I didn't know if I should update on the 15th of July Chinese time, which is when I usually update, or American time. Oh well, I have the chapter here now so it doesn't really matter anymore. Please enjoy ~**

* * *

_Tape 2: Summer_

_-side B: summer festival-_

_Now reading..._

* * *

The heat grew worse as mid-summer approached. Takane spent her days in her perfectly air-conditioned cool room, playing shooting games. All the days were the same and Takane couldn't tell which day it was, and if it had been days or weeks since she last checked her calendar.

And when she finally did on the evening of an unknown day, she gave a yelp. Tomorrow was the day of the summer festival that she had promised Haruka she would go to with him. _Shit_, she thought. _Shit shit shit._

She looked through the contents of her closet furiously, cussing at herself for not realizing sooner. Did she even own a yukata?

Emptying out all the contents of her closet, she hated herself for not realizing earlier. Finally, at a corner of her closet in a box, was her yukata. It was a brilliant dark blue with yellow and red patterns on it. She held it out in front of her. Did it even fit? And how do you even put on a yukata, for god's sake? After examining it for a while, she decided that she should just ask her grandmother for help.

Oh, how delighted her grandmother was when she heard that Takane was going out to the summer festival with a _boy. _Takane's grandmother fussed over it, _congratulating_ her for some goddamn reason. Although Takane insisted that she should just show her how to do it and then Takane would do it herself the next day, Takane's grandmother wanted to help her dress up for this "special" occasion.

Takane's grandmother was not one to think like the people her age. Her head was full of thoughts that were in style, and she wasn't one to fret about things often. To sum it up, Takane's grandmother was one grandmother full of surprises.

...Even though Takane knew that, she was shocked as hell after her grandmother helped her put on the yukata when she brought out a box of accessories and ornaments.

"I got these at the bazaar a few weeks ago," she said, taking them out of the box and standing behind Takane, who sat in front of a mirror. Takane looked at the various accessories laid out on the desk in front of her. Hair-clips, hairbands, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair-ties... All of them shined with beauty.

"Although you can't wear these earrings because you didn't pierce your ears, there are still many things we can choose from. Now, we've got to choose a hairstyle. How about something different from your normal look? Oh, I know! Let's go with..." Takane's grandmother trailed off and she started to comb Takane's messy black hair. Once it was neat (or neat**er**), her grandmother selected a hair-tie with a dark blue rose (with some dark blue sparkles) and tied Takane's hair into a loose low ponytail that came down on the right side by her neck. She then selected a white hairband with a white white feather and a string of small pearls hanging down on the left side and secured it on Takane's head.

Takane looked at herself in the mirror and almost gasped out loud. She looked so different from normal. She looked almost... Beautiful... Takane's grandmother almost seemed to think so.

"Takane, you look beautiful! But your looks seems to be missing something..." She thought for a while, before her eyes lit up, obviously finding the right answer. She fumbled through the different sections of the box and brought out what she was looking for. Takane's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"W-What?! Are you serious, Grandma? Hair dye?!" she said. Her grandmother smiled and nodded, like it was no big deal.

"I'm going to dip-dye your ponytail in this blue hair dye ! Don't worry, this washes out real quick." she said. At this moment, Takane felt like her grandmother was the weirdest person she had ever met. When her grandmother saw Takane's hesitant expression, she laughed.

"Come on! The blue goes perfectly well with your yukata! It'll be great!" she said. Takane sighed and let her grandmother do the magic. When she was done, Takane looked in the mirror. She looked... Surprisingly great. Her grandmother was right. The blue really did go with her yukata. She stood up and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. Takane smiled to herself. What would Haruka say?

She quickly realized what she had thought and placed her palms onto her burning cheeks in an attempt to cool them off. She heard her grandmother giggle behind her. Sometimes her grandmother was just like a kid.

"Takane, you should get going! You don't want Haruka-kun to wait, do you?" Takane's grandmother said. Takane spun around to look at her grandmother, who was smiling innocently.

"H-H-How do you..." Takane stuttered.

"Know?" Her grandmother finished her sentence for her, giggling. "Oh, Takane, I've seen everything. Now, go, go!" she made a 'shoo!' motion with her hands. Takane sighed. She opened the door and headed out, but poked her head back into the room.

"Thanks, Grandma."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

When Takane arrived, she saw that Haruka was already waiting at their meeting spot: under the clock in the famous park. She quickly walked (since she really couldn't run in a yukata) over to him.

"Ah, Takane! Wow, you look so different! Oh, I meant that in a good way! A really good way!" said Haruka, after a minute of pausing. Takane blushed.

"...Thanks." she said finally. Haruka smiled.

"I really like the blue dip-dye! It fits you really well!" he said. Takane nodded, her blush worsening. Her grandmother was right. The dye really WAS great.

"...Let's go, then..." she said, keeping her head down so that Haruka wouldn't see her blush. Haruka gave a happy 'okay!', and the two of them went into the festival.

Despite the festival only beginning for a few minutes, there was already a lot of people. Festive lights and lanterns hung everywhere and tents stood in two rows on the sides where activities and food stands were supported. They walked along, looking at the various stands. Takane was surprised at how easily she became used to the atmosphere of the festival. Suddenly, she realized Haruka had stopped walking and was staring at one of the shooting booths. Takane looked in the direction of his stare.

It was a stuffed animal of a triceratops, a light green in color. It was extremely cute; Takane had to admit that. It was the size of something a stuffed animal able to be hugged perfectly; not too big, not too small.

"Harkua...?" asked Takane, but Haruka continued to look at it as if he didn't hear her. Takane smiled. Haruka could really be like a kid sometimes.

"Mister, one try." she said, stepping up to the booth-owner, handing him some coins. He looked slightly startled, but handed her the gun.

"Little girl, it isn't as easy as it looks! I'll give you two tries!" he said. Takane was already aiming when he spoke. Haruka looked at her, surprised.

"Takane?" he asked.

"Once is enough." Takane said to the booth-owner, and she pulled the trigger. The wooden bullet shot from the gun and aimed straight for the triceratops. It hit the stuffed toy, bounced off, and the triceratops dropped down to the floor. Both the booth-owner and Haruka were surprised.

"...You... You're so good, Takane! You shot it in one shot!" exclaimed Haruka. Takane couldn't help but smile proudly.

"Of course! How many shooting games do you think I've played? This is nothing!" she said. Haruka, for some reason, also smiled proudly.

"Easy for the Lightning Dancer Ene, right?" he said. Takane, for once, didn't mind being called by her game username.

"Of course!" she said. She looked and the stuffed toy and smiled. She handed it to Haruka. He looked at her, surprised.

"Takane...?" he asked.

"It's yours now." Takane said simply. Haruka's eyes shined with happiness and they even seemed to sparkle (how the hell is he able to even do that?!).

"Thank you, Takane!" he said. His smile was overwhelming. It was shining, and it made Takane feel so happy.

"Ah, Takane, look! **Ringo ame**!" shouted Haruka, pulling Takane over to a different stand. He bought one for both him and Takane. Takane took a bite into the sweet candied apple and smiled to herself. How sweet.

"Takane's looks sweet too!" said Haruka, taking a bite into _her _candied apple. She felt her heart skip a beat. Haruka must have noticed her staring at him, because he held out his candied apple to her. Takane, blushing, took a bite of it. The sweet flavor spread in her mouth.

"How is it?" asked Haruka. Takane nodded, blushing.

"Delicious." she said. Haruka laughed.

"I'm glad." he said. They went from stand to stand, having fun, so much fun that they forgot completely about the time.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"As expected, the summer festival's really fun!" said Haruka, grinning as they walked through the alleys. Haruka had his hands full of treats and sweets, a mask over the side of his head. Takane held the many things she won at the stands.

"Takane-san? Haruka-san?" Takane looked up at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Ayano-chan?!" she exclaimed, surprised. Her eyes then narrowed. "Oh. And the shitface."

"Isn't _that_ kind of you, Enomoto." said Shintaro, his eyebrows twitching and obviously unpleased at the name he was referred to as by.

"What are _you _doing here? I thought you spent your days cooped in your room browsing sites." said Takane. Shintaro raised his eyebrows.

"What, isn't that what you do?" he asked.

"I do what I want, you bastard -"

"Okay, okay, break it up! Stop arguing!" said Ayano, wrenching the two frenemies who were near fighting apart.

"Exactly! We're here to have a good time, Takane!" said Haruka, munching on his cotton candy. Takane glared at Shintaro.

"I'll back down _only _this time. Next time I'll beat you in Dead Bullet!" she said.

"Like you could." retorted Shintaro. Ayano gave a look of disapproval.

"Shintaro." she said, and he shut up. Suddenly, the people at the festival seemed to all run at once to the same direction, causing the quartet to be pushed and shoved in the sea of people.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Urgh, where did those two go?" said Takane. They had lost Ayano and Shintaro during the huge stampede of people, and now it was only Takane and Haruka again. They were currently on a bridge over a river, with fireflies flying about around them. The sky was a dark, dark, dark blue, and it was quite late. Haruka laughed awkwardly.

"Uh, I guess we lost them, haha..." he said. Takane sighed.

"Oh well then." There was a sudden BOOM! in the sky, and both Takane and Haruka looked up at the sky, startled. Their expressions turned from confusion to sudden excitement. A huge flower of colors and lights bloomed in the sky, followed by another, and another, and another. It was simply beautiful.

"Look, Haruka! Fireworks!" said Takane excitedly, her mouth widening into a huge smile. She turned to Haruka and saw him smiling calmly. Takane turned back to the amazing sight of the fireworks, amazed.

"Takane," said Haruka. Takane turned to look at him. His mouth moved, saying what seemed to be three words, but just as he spoke, a huge firework bloomed in the sky with a sound that was deafening. It was impossible to hear what Haruka had said.

"Did you say something?" asked Takane, when the fireworks had silenced. Haruka's eyes widened. He then smiled and shook his head.

"No... It's nothing." he said. "It's getting late, I think we should head back now. It was so fun to be here with Takane!"

"...Thanks for inviting me." said Takane, smiling slightly. They headed back, leaving the summer festival behind them. But Takane knew that next year, they would have an even better time here.

* * *

**Just a confirmation about what Haruka said during the fireworks, if you were guessing it, you were right. The three words Haruka said to Takane were "I love you". It was a confession. **

**How was the chapter? I hope you guys liked it... Next chapter is going to be uploaded on August 15, 2015, our one and only Kagerou Day! XD**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	6. Summer -side C: live concert-

**HELLOOOOO GUYS AND HAPPY KAGEROU DAY! I've been busy ever since I woke up to finish this chapter and finish my MAD, which I have just published, and repost a bunch a stuff on Weibo, and talk to other people, and get other people to watch my MAD... You get the idea. I'm terribly tired, and since I'm going to go to lunch after I publish this, I might be able get some rest. (OH WAIT I have art class afterwards hahahaha... But I AM drawing the Yuukei Quartet there so that may be great... AND I don't have tennis today and instead a movie... Today will be a great Kagerou Day hehehe :D)**

**I just rambled on with a lot of stuff apparently. I'm just so excited for Kagerou Day! Last year I went to a Kagerou Project Only anime fair and this year, I'm publishing many things to celebrate. Please enjoy this chapter :D**

* * *

Shintaro was the last person whom Takane expected would call her voluntarily. She wouldn't have been weirded out if it was Haruka or Ayano. That was why she almost dropped her phone when she saw the caller ID. What did the bastard want?

"If you called me when I was in the middle of a game, I would have ripped you into shreds." said Takane. She could sense Shintaro roll his eyes on the other side of the line.

"Well, that's a great way to start a conversation. Listen, Enomoto, I'm not here to argue with you." he said.

"Well that's a surprise." muttered Takane under her breath.

"You know my sister, right?" he asked. Takane raised an eyebrow.

"Super idol Kisaragi Momo, right? Who wouldn't?" she asked. Shintaro's younger sister, Kisaragi Momo, was an idol and had millions and millions of fans all over the world. It was hard to believe that such a celebrity was Shintaro's relative.

"She's holding a live concert in a few days, and she got tickets for me and three more other people. Apparently she heard that I now have friends," Insert dry laugh from Shintaro here. "So she wants me to invite you guys. I've asked Ayano and Haruka-senpai already, and they're both coming."

"Sure, I guess, I've got nothing planned these few days." said Takane, glancing at her calendar. "Besides, it'll be a killer concert."

"Okay then. I'll give you guys the tickets on the day of the concert. That's it. Bye." Then he hung up. Takane leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. She had never gone to a concert before, much less a super idol's. She was extremely excited. Smiling to herself, she went to search up some songs by Momo-chan.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Takane took a deep breath before stepping into the arena area. She was wearing the live T-shirt that she had gotten. She had never seen or met Shintaro's sister before, so she was quite nervous. Momo was a world-famous idol, after all.

She soon found her three friends at the front of the line, waiting to go inside. Haruka and Ayano waved at her, while Shintaro simply nodded, acknowledging that she came.

"Good morning, Takane! I've never went to a concert before, so I'm really excited!" said Haruka.

"I haven't been to a concert before either." said Takane.

"I've been to a concert before, but it was an orchestra concert and not this type, so I'm really excited too!" said Ayano, smiling.

"I've been to lots of concerts." said Shintaro. "Vocal⃝id concerts mostly, but idol ones too." Seeing the look Takane gave him, he didn't say anything more.

"Since you're obviously the expert here, why don't you tell us about what we should do?" asked Takane.

"Usually fans come to line up earlier than the gates open to be able to go in first before the merchandise runs out. We're first in line because I came to drop Momo off before any other fan came. I don't recommend buying anything and going straight in, since if you guys want anything I can just ask Momo for it. Also, during concerts like these, fans do calls, which basically is waving their light blades in a certain way according to the song and its pattern. You'll probably get the hang of it after seeing and hearing them do it." explained Shintaro. Ayano nodded slowly.

"That seems cool!" she said, smiling. "I'm so excited!" Suddenly, there was a huge roar of excitement from the fans in line. The quartet looked in front of them, and saw that the gates were being opened. People behind them started pushing and running ahead of them to get to the merchandise booths.

"Don't get lost!" shouted Shintaro. They ran up the stairs, dodging the crazy fans from behind and beside them. When they reached the top, everyone stopped to take a deep breath.

"How are you... Not even out of... Breath?" Takane said, panting. "I thought you were hopeless at physical education!" Shintaro shrugged.

"Just used to this. Like I said, I've been to many concerts. Now, we've gotta keep moving. We're in the first row, so entrance's this way. Here are your light blades, I've already made sure that the batteries work." Without another word, he started walking towards the entrance. Takane frowned.

"Don't you think Shintaro's different today?" she asked the other two. Haruka cocked his head.

"Different?" he asked. "How so?"

"He obviously speaks more than usual and he's, I don't know, more upbeat?" said Takane. Ayano laughed.

"That's true. He's just excited, that's all. Shintaro's really his sister's number one fan!" she said.

"What are you guys doing? I'm gonna leave you all here if you don't catch up!" shouted Shintaro from the distance. Ayano smiled.

"Coming!" she shouted, then turned to Takane and Haruka. "Let's go!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Takane looked around, amazed. The arena was huge! She had never imagined a place this huge, much less been to one! The arena seemed to be able to fit billions of people, and stage was simply huge. There were so many lights hanging from above. Takane couldn't believe Shintaro's sister was performing at a place like this.

"Shintaro-kun, how do you use this?" asked Haruka, fiddling with his light blade. Shintaro took it from him.

"See these two buttons on the bottom of the handle? You just hold the non-striped button and it will turn on." he said, and the blade flashed a bright red.

"Ooh! It turned red! It's the color of heroes!" shouted Ayano, quickly turning hers on and waving it in the air. Shintaro shot her a look, obviously speechless.

"Stop, Ayano. You're gonna disturb other people. Anyways, Haruka-senpai, just press the non-striped button to change colors, and the striped button to go back to the previous color. It's really simple." said Shintaro, handing back the light blade to Haruka. He nodded.

"Okay! Thanks, Shintaro-kun! This so so cool!" he said, staring at the light blade. Takane glanced at her own light blade and turned it on. She stared into the light while changing the colors.

"Momo's artist color is orange, but some use yellow as well." said Shintaro. Takane nodded. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the arena was thrown into darkness. However, the darkness was soon illuminated by the lights of everyone's light blades, flashing an orange and yellow light. Everyone yelled, screamed, and cheered, because the concert was finally starting. The three screens, two beside the stage and one on the wall, flickered to life and a face was shown on it. It was Kisaragi Momo.

"Hi everyone!" she said in the video. Everyone in the audience roared and waved their light blades. Takane heard voices in the audience scream out "Momo-chan!", "I love you!" and similar statements.

"I'm so glad that everyone came to my concert! I'm extremely excited for today! I hope to have a great time with everyone! So without further ado... Peach-colored Moonlight ~Live with Full Moon~, START!" As soon as she finished the sentence, the bass started off with the first song. Everyone clapped to the beat, and Takane recognized the song to be Kisaragi Attention, Momo's 5th single and her most popular song. The guitar started, and Momo ran out from the wings, wearing her usual performance dress. Everyone cheered the moment she ran onto the stage, and Momo started to sing.

_wow Ikisaki wa dou shiyou chotto shifuku ja mazui kana_

_Aa, nanimokamo houridashichatta gogo_

_wow Senobishita hiiru ja chotto fumidashi nikui kara sa_

_Sukoshi rafu ni fuudo tsukete barenai you ni ikou_

Takane glanced at her friends. Ayano was waving her red light blade around excitedly, a huge smile on her face, occasionally trying to follow what the other audience members were doing - this must be the "calls" that Shintaro was talking about. Shintaro was doing the calls with his orange light blade properly, and Takane guessed he was a master at it because many other audience members were looking at him for guidance. And Haruka... He was looking at the stage, his eyes wide, and he was full of excitement. Well, Takane did understand why. The singing and dancing super idol Kisaragi Momo was definitely radiating and had a shining aura. She turned back to the stage.

_Shoutengai rojiura e nukete_

_Aa, nandaka dokidoki shichaisou da_

_Fui ni kaze ga fuitara fuudo ga nugete sugusama kanshuu mesen da_

_"...Yappa itsumodoori no shuumatsu ni nacchaisou desu"_

_Sanzan da naa yametai naa maninonrei! Nante iu kedo_

_Sono jitsu buruu nano de komacchau yo metacchau na_

_Sanzan da naa nigetai naa kitai shichau yo._

_"Mou watashi o minaide!" ...Nante kotoba mo poketto ni shimaou._

_wow Mukashi kara nande ka chotto hitome o hikunda yo naa_

_Sore mo maa, mou narehajimete shimaisou_

_wow Kiita koto arunda chotto omoidasenai kedo_

_"Aa mou! Iya na taishitsu da naa" Sonna koto ie mo shinai keredo_

_Oodoori ga panikku ni kawaru_

_Mou aidoru nante yamechaitai yo_

_"Konna koto ni naru to wa..." Ano hi no baka na watashi wa tanjun shikou de_

_Chotto suteejiraito ni yume o egaichattan desu..._

_Sanzan da yo ienai yo kansei ga afurechau kedo_

_"Kore sonna ii desu ka...?" Tsumannai yo wakaranai yo_

_Sanzan da naa kietai naa koe ni narazu ni_

_"Iya da. Namida ga dechau yo" Sonna kotoba de poketto o umeta_

_...Konnan ja mou ikenai ne kansei ga kikoeteru desho?_

_Yume miteta fuukei ni kitsuitara mou deatte ite_

_"Sanzan" nara kaetai na hitori janai yo_

_Saa kakkotsukenai you na kotoba de_

_Aa, nandaka ikesou da! Shinzou ga hajikechau hodo_

_Afuredashisou nano de ubacchau yo!? Ubacchau yo!?_

_Tsutaetai koto tsumekonda sonna "yume" kara_

_Mou me o hanasanaide saa saa, ashita mo sukippu de susumou!_

When the song ended, there was a huge fuss of screams, yells, shouts, and excitement. Takane noticed that Shintaro was also cheering very, very loudly. Takane shook her head. What a **siscon**. On the stage, Momo glanced around at the audience, providing a shade for her eyes with her hand. Taking some deep breaths, she raised the microphone to speak.

"This is amazing!" she said, laughing. Everyone cheered. "I'm so glad that everyone came!"

"MOMO-CHAN, I LOVE YOU!" shouted someone from the audience. Momo paused for a second, then smiled.

"Thank you very much!" she said, smiling. Her smile must have killed a billion hearts. "Everyone, welcome to Peach-colored Moonlight ~Live with Full Moon~! Introducing myself again, I'm Kisaragi Momo!" Momo put her hands up in the air and bowed, smiling, and everyone cheered.

"Wow, this is really impressive! Is everyone still okay?" Audience cheers. "Let's make this a night we'll never forget!" Cue another cheer. Takane was amazed at how excited the crowd was. Then again, Momo's fame has soared above most singers and idols, so this shouldn't be a surprise.

"Next will be two sister songs that my brother wrote the lyrics for and composed. Thank you, Onii-chan!" Momo was saying from the stage. Takane, Haruka, and Ayano all looked to Shintaro, who had his face in his palms.

"She did NOT have to say that..." he said, sighing.

"I didn't know you wrote songs, Shintaro!" said Ayano. Shintaro looked panicky.

"U-um, well, sometimes..." he murmured.

"That's really cool! I wonder what they'll be like!" said Haruka excitedly. Ayano smiled.

"I'd love to hear them sometime, Shintaro!" said Ayano. Takane snickered. That angelic smile must have killed Shintaro's DT heart.

"Please listen! Peach Soda!" said Momo, and the music started.

_Anata wo mitsuketa ano hi ni_

_Watashi wa koi ni ochimashita_

_Motto anata wo shiritakute_

_Tegami wo nando mo kakimashita_

_Anata wo mikaketa sono shunkan_

_Watashi wa awa no you ni _

_Motto anata ni chika zukitakute_

_Amai kaori wo oikakemashita_

_..._

There was a brief pause while everyone cheered wildly. Takane felt sweat trickle down her forehead. That's weird. Takane didn't do or attempt to do any of the calls unlike her three friends (although she did realize that she was waving the light blade sometimes), but she was still really hot.

Was it that the arena was too hot, or maybe the weather today? Takane finally settled on the reason of the atmosphere. A concert had such a different atmosphere from other places she had been to. Everyone was happy and excited, and wanted to give their whole heart in cheering for their idol. Just at this moment, the music started up again, the tune of Peach Soda -again-.

_Anata ni chikazuita ano hi ni_

_Watashi wa atato sumu koto kimemashita_

_Motto anata wo mitsumete itakute _

_..._

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The concert was simply amazing. Takane was surprised at how energetic the fans stayed, and how they were able to withstand hours of standing on a hot summer night. She and her friends had gotten a towel each from Shintaro, so that made it easier.

Momo was amazing onstage. She drew everyone's attention with her singing and dancing, and her smile was amazing. However, soon it was the last song, and Momo departed into the wings. There was a sudden silence, and Takane wondered if everyone was going to file out of the arena and go home. However, a chant was started off by, either surprisingly or not surprisingly, Shintaro. Takane looked at him, and so did Haruka and Ayano.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" he was chanting. Soon, the chant was picked up by the other fans, and every person in the arena was calling out "encore!".

Suddenly, music started playing from the speakers, and everyone cheered. Momo was coming out for another song! However, Takane didn't recognize this song. Shintaro didn't either, as he was looking at them and the stage in confusion.

Momo jumped out from the hidden doors at the back in the middle of the stage, and the cheers seemed to grow louder.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" she shouted. "Thanks for the encore! This is a song I wrote for my friend, and I hope I can cheer him up with this!" And then, she began to sing:

_"Mou, dou yatta tte muda kamo na"_

_Nakisou na kao miteita_

_"Akiramenai de yo" mitai na kotoba ja zenzen tarinai_

_"Soshitara motto genki o dasanakya, ashita mo kuranjau!" tte_

_Kimi wo tsure dashiteku, muriyari kanaa_

_Hizashi ni buruu ni naru_

_Kimi no koto yappa shoujiki shinpai da_

_Hitomi ga urunde iku. "Yowamushi na boku ni wa, dame da yo kitto..."_

_Dakedo shinjiru, kimi dakara. Massugu mae o muite?_

_Honto ni dame na toki wa, kimi no kokoro o sasaete ageru._

_"Isso" nante akiramecha Zettai dame dakara_

_Nee, issho ni susumou? "Hitoribocchi" o kowashichaou, hora!_

_"Dou natte iru n da ka wakaranai"_

_Kimi wa mada nakisou da_

_Tameiki bakka de me o subuccha Hora, zettai zetsumei!_

_"Motto ganbaranakya omoi mo kinou ni kiechau!" tte_

_Machi o kakedashite iku, muriyari da ne_

_Yuugure buruu ni naru_

_Hizashi ga tozashite iku sono isshun de_

_Tachimachi nage ita kao_

_Oto mo naku namida ga koborete kieta_

_Hidoku chiisa na kono sekai ga ookiku kiba o muite_

_"Issho ni itakatta na" to kimi no kokoro o utsumukaseru_

_Chiisa na kotoba ja mou zenzen todokanakute mo_

_Chikara ni naritai_

_"Tasuketai n da yo. Kanaete yo, nee!"_

Momo smiled, and to everyone's surprise, she ran down the steps and into the audience area. She walked passed where the quartet was standing and stopped in front of a person who was standing about two people away. Takane and her friends stared at the person. He was a boy much younger than them, perhaps twelve to thirteen years old. His look of surprise was shown clearly on his face.

Momo grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her, ignoring the shouts from the audience and the protests from the boy himself. She pulled him up on the stage, and he stood, his eyes wide with surprise. Momo smiled at him, and just as the music in between ended, she raised her microphone and started to sing once more:

_"Shinjiru, kimi dakara." Honki no koe dashite_

_"Zettai dame nanka janai! Kimi ga nozome ba, mata deaeru!"_

_Ooki na shinkokyuu de_

_Tooku no otsukisama ni yowakina kimi ga_

_"Yatte yaru sa!" to_

_Sakendeta_

_...Sukoshi kakkoii ka na. Maa._

"Cheer up, Hibiya-kun!" she said, smiling. The boy, Hibiya, seemed shocked for a second, then smiled confidently.

"I'll do it, just wait and see!" he shouted. Momo smiled.

"That's more like it!" she said, ruffling his hair. To the audience, she said: "Thank you so much for coming to this concert today! I hope you've had a great time, like I did! I hope to see you again soon!" Waving, she ran into the wings, pulling Hibiya along with her. There was a small silence in the quartet.

"That was so amazing!" said Ayano, her eyes shining. Haruka nodded furiously.

"Totally!" he said. "Takane, did you see that? Did you see that, Takane? Momo-chan was shining!"

"I did, okay! I was here the whole time!" said Takane, sighing.

"But I was really surprised at the end... I didn't think you could do that!" said Ayano, obviously referring to Momo pulling Hibiya onto the stage.

"That reminds me," said Shintaro, a dark aura around him. "Who was that kid, anyways..." Takane's mouth twitched.

"You **siscon**." she said. Shintaro glared at her.

"Shut up, Enomoto." he said.

"But anyways, today's concert was amazing! I will never forget about today!" said Haruka, grinning.

"Me either!" said Ayano, smiling. Shintaro shrugged.

"I've been to too many concerts in the past, many have been greater than this." said Shintaro. He paused, then added, "But I guess I won't forget about today either..." Ayano giggled. They all looked to Takane expectantly, and Takane sighed.

"Okay, okay." she said, blushing, embarrassed. "I won't forget about today either...

_This summer's story will never end."_

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**This chapter was actually really rushed because I had so much other things to do, I'm so sorry if there are a lot of mistakes. Shintaro might seem to be OOC but like Takane and the others mentioned, he's just really into this stuff and it's his sister, come on. Also, I kind of imagine him to be a siscon so yeah XDDD There isn't much fluff in this chapter, it's focusing more on friendship than romance so that's why. I'm sorry if you guys were waiting for a lot of fluff ;w; **

**The lyrics for Peach Soda and Peach Soda -again- were from the Kagerou Daze Official Anthology Comics SWEET, and it is written by Shintaro, Ene, Seto, and Kano. Also, Peach Soda -again- isn't actually called that, but Peach Soda #2 doesn't work so I gave it a new name. It was inspired by Your Lie in April, anyone see how? XD**

**This chapter was inspired by my experience with my two buddies at Lantis Festival in Shanghai in April 2015, it was a night I could not forget. I saw µ's, and oh my god they were so amazing. The atmosphere was so... oh my gosh, AMAZING. **

**I hope you liked this chapter, and happy Kagerou Day to all of you! Please leave a review and tell me how you liked this chapter, or of the flaws and mistakes I've made. Thank you!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	7. Autumn -side A: watching the leaves-

**I'm back! Sorry for the one day delay, I was rushing and then homework and the other stuff all collided I'm so sorry... ;w; But I'm back!**

**Yes, I know this chapter is the shortest chapter of the whole story, but well, I don't really like autumn... (in a small voice) **

**Also, Takane's grandfather was not mentioned before so I assumed he is dead, because if he wasn't then I would think that he would be living with her grandmother. **

**Enjoy~!**

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_Tape 3: Autumn_

_-side A: watching the leaves-_

_Now reading..._

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Summer soon came to an end, and as the temperature grew cooler, changes were also happening to the world around them. The leaves were turning a variety of colors that differed with their original green. Red, orange, yellow, brown... The so-called 'autumn colors', was it? It was mind-blowing to see a leaf that was once green, then over the days growing a tint of a different color, then completely changing its look.

Takane had never really noticed the colors of the leaves; every autumn when she saw them, she simply dismissed them with a yawn and they were never really on her mind. However, this year, it felt different.

"Good morning, Takane! It's autumn already, isn't it? The leaves are changing color..." said Takane's grandmother as Takane walked into the dining room, yawning.

"Yeah." she said groggily, rubbing one eye as she sat down at the table. Takane's grandmother sat opposite her.

"Every time this season comes, I always think of all the autumns I have been through, and the changing of the color of the leaves always reminds me. The memories always comes flooding back once I take one glance at the trees outside." she said, smiling.

All of Takane's sleepiness cleared away immediately, as she remembered how autumn was important to her grandmother. It was when summer bordered autumn, and when the leaves had started to change color that Takane's grandfather had confessed to her grandmother, that they had frequent dates and created memories that her grandmother would not forget, that he had proposed to her, that they had their child, that her grandfather fell sick, and that he forever left her grandmother alone on the face of the planet.

Takane didn't know what to say to her grandmother. Autumn was such an important season to her grandmother...

"You should get going, Takane! You're going to be late!" That was the only thing that her grandmother had said. Takane grabbed a piece of toast and her backpack, said goodbye to her grandmother and walked out.

She had walked to school with the leaves falling beside her. She turned to look at the trees on each side of her path, and sure enough, they were a variety of colors. As she was thinking about what her grandmother had said, she arrived at her class, and as usual, Haruka was already there.

"Good morning, Takane!" he said, smiling. "The leaves changed colors! That's so cool!" Takane sat down in her chair.

"You should have seen it change colors many times already, what's the surprise?" she asked. Haruka gave a grin.

"But it's still really cool! Don't you think so, Takane?" he said.

"Yeah, yeah." Takane replied. At this moment, their teacher walked into the room.

"Good morning, young learners!" he said. Takane rolled her eyes. _Someone's_ in a good mood today.

"Good morning, Sensei!" said Haruka, smiling.

"Leaves are turning color already, aren't they? It feels like autumn!" said Kenjirou.

"That's because it IS autumn. It's not that big of a deal." said Takane, rolling her eyes at her teacher's stupidity.

"Eh~, but Takane! The changing of the leaves' colors is the sign that autumn is starting officially! Isn't that what people say?" said Haruka.

"Exactly what people say, Haruka! Don't worry, your little friend here is just not honest enough to say her true thoughts and feelings!" said Kenjirou, putting a hand on Takane's head and ruffling her hair. "Like she's that way with _other things_." He smiled at her, a smile that immediately alerted Takane that her teacher wasn't up to any good.

"Shut up!" she said, swatting his hand away.

"Ah, but you shouldn't say shut up to your teacher!" said Kenjirou, making a 'tsk tsk' sound and wagging his finger.

"Please just start the lesson already!" Takane shouted, extremely annoyed.

"Ah, for once Takane is excited for the start of a lesson! But of course! What a day!" said their teacher, before clearing his throat and starting the lesson, with the wind blowing through the autumn-colored leaves outside of the window.

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Takane and Haruka arrived at their usual spot for lunch, and waited for their freshman friends. Soon they came, Ayano dragging Shintaro over as usual, as if she was keeping him from running away.

"Hi Takane-san, Haruka-san!" said Ayano, waving. They waved back. After sitting down and getting out their lunches, they tucked in, Haruka eating furiously.

"The colors of the leaves have changed, haven't they? I wonder how..." said Ayano. Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"Haven't you been listening to class? The colors of the leaves change because of the..." he said, pulling out an answer that was clearly copied directly from a science textbook.

"I don't think that's the type of answer Ayano-chan wanted..." said Takane, dryly.

"They're so cool! Aren't they, everyone?" asked Ayano, smiling as she admired the leaves of a tree nearby. Haruka nodded furiously.

"Totally! But Takane doesn't really seem to think so..." he said, glancing at Takane, who shrugged.

"Shintaro doesn't think so either! I tried to convince him, but he kept saying that it wasn't cool at all!" said Ayano.

"It isn't." Shintaro stated simply, taking a sip of coke.

"But... But they've changed colors! They're not their normal green color!" said Ayano, sounding desperate. Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"So? It's not like I haven't seen them before." he said.

"But it's only three months in a year! That's special!" said Ayano. "And besides... It's our first time watching the leaves with Takane-san and Haruka-san!" The pair both turned to look at Takane and Haruka, who were quite surprised.

"I hadn't realized that!" said Haruka. Takane nodded.

"Me either. If you put it like that... Maybe it's a little more special..." she said. Ayano looked to Shintaro, who sighed.

"Okay, okay." he said. "It's special, I guess." At that, Ayano's face broke into a smile.

"That's great to hear!" she said. Takane smiled to herself. Meeting Ayano and Shintaro had really made her ordinary life better, and she was truly happy from the bottom of her heart. Haruka must have noticed her smiling to herself, because when Takane looked at him, he was smiling at her, with that warming smile of his.

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"Takane! Time to go home!" said Haruka, taking his backpack and walking over to Takane's table. Takane nodded, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and standing up. Walking out of the classroom, Takane was half-listening to Haruka excitedly telling her about what had happened last night when he was playing a shooting game. She wondered about the different conversations she had had with different people, all about the colors of the changing leaves. They had all approached it with happiness and excitement.

"Takane...?" Haruka asked.

"Hey, Haruka... Does looking at the autumn leaves with me make you happy...?" she asked, the uncertainty clearly voiced in that sentence. Haruka paused for a second, looking surprised at the question, then his face broke into a huge smile.

"Of course!" he said. That smile. That one as warm as the sun, as soothing as a breeze, the same one that Takane loved to pieces. Takane smiled to herself.

Would autumn be a special season to her, like her grandmother?

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**I hope you liked this chapter and please review :) Things are gonna get real when we get to winter, I swear XD**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	8. Autumn -side B: Halloween-

**Hellooo my amazing readers and Happy Halloween! This chapter was not updated on the 15th because it was a special (holiday) chapter, I'll be doing that for some chapters that will come up. Don't worry, the next chapter will be updated on the 15th so you get another chapter in less time! XD**

**This chapter focuses a lot on the Mekakushi Dan (which doesn't really officially exist in this AU, but the characters all do) and how they all met because of Halloween, but there are some HaruTaka moments so here's your monthly supply of fluff:)))**

**Please enjoy~:)))**

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Sitting in her room, Takane felt bored. The boredom she was faced with was not simply normal boredom, but a boredom that ripped her to pieces. She didn't know what do at all, and there was nothing to do. She had sat in her chair playing shooting games for the whole entire day, and her eyes were hurting. If she kept on playing the shooting games, her eyes would go bad.

So that was why she wanted to do something non-related to a computer screen. That left her with only some options. Read? Like she was going to that. Write? Her English grades sucked bad enough. Do homework? Who even does that in their free time?! Sleep? Sounded good, but she wasn't sleepy, a rare circumstance. Draw? She wasn't Haruka. Eat? Recalling a food project she did before, "Eat when you're hungry, not when you're bored" was a rule. And plus, she was on a diet. And she wasn't Haruka.

What is Haruka doing right now, anyways...?

Takane quickly snapped back to reality. Why was she thinking about that idiot? She had better things to do.

But what?

She glanced out the window, bored, and saw a group of kids walking down the street wearing... What were those costumes?!

Glancing at the calendar, Takane realized with a start that today was Halloween. She shook her head. That wasn't going to help her. Halloween was for kids.

Suddenly, she heard her doorbell ring. She quickly ran down to get it, since she didn't want her grandmother to move that much. She opened the door and was faced with a bag shoved in her face.

"Trick or treat, Takane!" She looked up and her mouth fell open. There stood - yep, you guessed it - Haruka Kokonose, wearing a Halloween costume, showing up her doorstep and asking for candy.

"What... the fuck." was all Takane managed to get out.

"That shouldn't be your reaction when I'm asking you that question! Trick or treat!" said Haruka, smiling.

"We're high schoolers. Halloween is for kids." said Takane.

"Don't say that! It's such a great opportunity to get candy!" said Haruka. Takane sighed. What she expect from Haruka, anyways?

"Oh, this must be Haruka-kun!" Takane turned around and saw her grandmother walking towards the door, smiling. Haruka also smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Takane's grandma!" he said.

"Oh, what a nice kid! Nice to meet you too, Haruka-kun! Wait a second, I'll get the candy ready..." Her grandmother walked back into the kitchen and came back with a box of candy, from which she gave Haruka three pieces.

"Thank you very much!" said Haruka.

"Takane, why don't you go too?" asked Takane's grandmother. Both Haruka and Takane turned to look at her.

"What?! Grandma, I'm a high schooler! And plus, I don't have a costume!" said Takane. Her grandmother smiled.

"Don't worry about the costume part, I've got that ready for you!" she said. Takane's mouth dropped open. When did her grandmother get _that _ready?!

"Now, go! You're wasting time just standing here, Takane!" Grudgingly, Takane walked up the stairs to her room. She could hear her grandmother inviting Haruka into the house to wait. Did she _have _to do that?

Opening the door, she saw that a costume was laid on her bed. When did her grandmother even do that?! Looking at her costume, her face heated up. It was a witch costume. A witch who revealed more skin than Takane liked. Her costume consisted of a black dress that Takane wished reached lower. The straps were also extremely thin. A black witch hat with an orange ribbon lining was placed next to the dress. A pair of black boots with slight heels were on the floor.

"Do I have to wear this?" Takane couldn't help but say to nobody but herself. Realizing she sounded like an idiot for talking to herself, she picked up the costume. She went into the bathroom and changed into it. (twintails?) She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face heated up once again, seeing the thin straps. She quickly went to her closet and got out a black leather jacket. Putting it on, she looked at herself again. Great. That solved the problem of the thin straps. Takane looked down at her skirt. She couldn't do anything to the length, so she would have to cope with it.

Takane walked down the stairs and she saw that her grandmother and Haruka were talking happily. About what, she didn't know. They both looked up at the sound of her footsteps. Haruka's face burst into a mad red, and Takane couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed. She pulled her hat down to cover her red face. Both of them become huge flustered messes. There was an uncomfortable silence that was held in the air, before Takane's grandmother broke it.

"Takane, you look wonderful! Now, go and have fun!" she said. Takane nodded slightly, and taking her bag, she walked out of the door with Haruka following her.

"Bye, Takane's grandmother!" said Haruka, smiling and waving.

"Be careful!" said Takane's grandmother, and they headed out. They walked a few blocks before stopping in front of house of crimson bricks, since it was the house that was closest that had its lights on and they could hear voices from inside.

"Let's stop here!" said Haruka, and even before waiting for an answer, he knocked on the door. There was a voice that yelled "Coming!" before the door opened. It was a boy that looked about 14 who wore a white hoodie.

"Trick or treat!" said Haruka loudly with a bold smile. Takane muttered a quiet "trick or treat" as well. The boy looked a little panicky, and he didn't know what to do.

"Ah!...Um, please wait a moment..." he said, looking around frantically, as if waiting for someone to save him.

"Kousuke? What's wrong?" asked an extremely familiar voice. A very familiar figure approached the doorway.

"Ayano-chan?!" shouted Takane, her eyes widened. Ayano turned their way and her expression brightened up.

"Takane-san! Haruka-san!" she said. "You guys are trick-or-treating? Wait a second, I'll go get the candy..." She quickly ran to the insides of the house.

"U-um! My name's Kousuke Seto! You're both Nee-chan's friends, right? Nice to meet you!" said the boy who had opened the door. Haruka smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Kousuke-kun!" he said.

"Nice to meet you." said Takane. She noticed a small head poking out from behind the wall. Kousuke, noticing Takane's gaze, turned and his whole face brightened up.

"Ah! Marry! These are Nee-chan's friends, Takane-san and Haruka-san! Um, this is my friend Marry, hey Marry, come say hi!" he said. The head retreated back out of view and a girl stepped out. She had long, light blonde hair, and was wearing a blue and white dress. She walked where Kousuke was standing, and smiled nervously at Takane and Haruka.

"N-Nice to meet you... I'm Kozakura Marry..." she said. Takane and Haruka both responded back with a 'nice to meet you'. At this point, Ayano came walking down the hall with a bowl of candy in her hands. She dropped a few into Haruka's and Takane's bags.

"Ayano-chan, are you coming?" asked Takane. Ayano nodded.

"I was thinking of taking everyone trick-or-treating, so if you don't mind I'll bring my siblings as well!" she said. "Oh, and Marry-chan too, of course!" she added, ruffling Marry's hair, smiling.

"Siblings?" echoed Haruka.

"Ah, that's right! I haven't introduced all of them yet!" said Ayano. "Tsubomi! Shuuya!" she called. Two other figures came running out. It was a girl and a boy.

"Takane-san, Haruka-san, let me introduce my other siblings! This is Kido Tsubomi, and that's Kano Shuuya! Say hi, now!" said Ayano.

"Hello!" they said simultaneously.

"Wow, you have so many siblings, Ayano-chan..." said Takane. Ayano laughed.

"People have said that a lot. Now, let's go, shall we?" asked Ayano, picking up a trick-or-treating bag. Haruka and Takane nodded. The whole group, all seven of them, headed out. They walked a few blocks, Kousuke talking about how he met Marry, before they stopped in front of the next house with Halloween decorations up and lights on. Shuuya knocked on the door, and it opened.

"Trick or treat!" The seven of them chorused together. A girl, wearing a hood that shadowed over her face, was standing in the doorway.

"Oh! Um, I'll have to ask my brother where he put the candy... Please wait a second..." the girl said.

"Onii-chan! Where'd you put the candy?" She turned her head back and yelled.

"I don't know!" Came the reply shouted from upstairs. She sighed.

"I'm sorry, I need to go upstairs and drag him out." said the girl, shaking her head. She quickly slipped into the house and they could hear her footsteps going up the stairs. After a few minutes, they saw the girl walk down with her brother, who held a bowl of candy. When they came closer, it was clear that the brother was someone they knew quite well.

"Shintaro?!" exclaimed Ayano. Shintaro looked up at them and his eyes widened.

"Ayano? And Haruka-senpai and Enomoto? What are you guys..."

"Trick or Treat!" said Haruka, holding up his bag, smiling. Shintaro paused and raised his eyebrows, then sighed. He gave a few pieces to each person, dropping it into their bags.

"Wait, if she's your sister, then isn't she...?" Takane said, pointing at the hooded girl. The girl glanced at Shintaro.

"So these are Onii-chan's friends... Well, then I don't have to keep up the disguise, do I?" she lifted her hood off, and it became evident who she was.

"Ki...Kisaragi Momo?!" Ayano's siblings shouted in surprise. It struck Takane that they didn't know the super idol was their sister's best friend's sister. Momo looked at Ayano, and her expression became nervous.

"U-um, are you Ayano-san?" she stuttered. Ayano nodded.

"Yes, I am!" she said, smiling. Momo dropped into a hasty bow.

"U-um, nice to meet you, I'm Kisaragi years old!" she shouted. Everyone blinked, confused at her words. Shintaro had his face in his palms. Momo, realizing her mistake, quickly covered her mouth and gave a few more bows.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't think I could mess up there...!" she said.

"I-It's okay..." said Ayano awkwardly and quite confused. Everyone looked towards Shintaro, thinking he would know what was happening.

"She's been practicing greeting Ayano. I don't know why." he said, sighing. There was a silence while everyone was thinking about the simple question of why.

"Anyways, why don't you two come with us as well?" asked Haruka, breaking the silence. Momo looked excited while Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I? You know I don't like to go outside and-"

"Yes, we would love to!" said Momo, her eyes sparkling. Shintaro looked at her, the feeling of betrayal showed clearly on her face.

"Come on, Onii-chan!" she said, shoving a bag into his hands and pulling him to the group. After locking the door, their group of seven increased to a group of nine with the addition of Shintaro and Momo.

"I know where we could go for some great candy!" said Momo. Seeing that nobody had any objections, she led the way to her source of candy. There were many conversations on the way, and people who haven't met at all before this day became friends. After a few minutes of walking and talking, they stopped in front of the door to an apartment. Momo rang the doorbell and a young boy who Takane thought looked quite familiar opened the door. Upon seeing Momo in the doorway waving at him with a huge smile, his face formed an ugly expression and he slammed the door shut.

Even though Takane couldn't see her face, but she was sure that Momo was very angry. Sure enough, she was extremely angry. She rang the doorbell multiple times, her finger pressing the button repeatedly at a very high speed. Finally, the boy couldn't bear it anymore. He opened the door with great force, annoyance shown fully on his face.

"What do you want, Oba-san?!" he yelled. Momo brought a fist down onto his head.

"Shut up! Who are you calling Oba-san?" she said. The boy winced, rubbing his head to make the pain go away.

"So what do you want?" he asked. Momo grinned.

"Can't you tell? Don't you know what day it is?" she asked. The boy squinted at the whole group, then his face lit up with understanding. Without another word, he went back into his apartment and got out a bowl of candy. He dropped a few pieces in each person's bag.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"Wait a second." Shintaro said, stepping up. "Aren't you the kid that Momo pulled up to the stage during that concert? How do you know my sister?" Takane realized that's why the boy looked so familiar. He was the kid that was pulled up during Momo's concert that she had gone to with Haruka, Ayano, and Shintaro.

"Oh, I haven't introduced him yet! This is Amamiya Hibiya, and he's a cute 10-year-old! He looks more mature than that, doesn't he?" said Momo, ruffling Hibiya's hair. "We kept bumping into each other almost everywhere, so we're friends now!"

"Wow..." said Ayano.

"Hibiya-kun, you should come trick-or-treating with us!" said Haruka. Hibiya raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it's Halloween! Let's go, Hibiya-kun!" said Momo. Hibiya sighed, went back in to get a bag and joined the group.

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"We've really got a lot of candy!" said Marry, looking into the bag she carried.

"Totally! This is enough to last a year!" said Momo, smiling. She took a piece, unwrapped it, and threw it in her mouth. "Mm, it's so sweet!"

"If you eat too much, you'll damage your teeth!" said Shintaro.

"It's getting quite late now, shouldn't we head back?" asked Takane, glancing up at the sky that was extremely dark now, as if someone spilt ink onto a white piece of paper and the ink had sank completely in.

"That's probably a good decision. I still have homework to do." said Hibiya. The group bid their goodbyes, knowing they will meet again. Takane walked in the direction of her house and she glanced up at Haruka, who was walking alongside her.

"I thought your house wasn't in this direction." she said. Haruka smiled, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I thought I would walk you home... It's not good for a girl to walk home by herself, is it? ...Ah, of course, I know Takane isn't a normal girl! Takane's really cool! I'm sure you'll have no problem walking home by yourself, but..." he broke off, laughing awkwardly. Takane smiled.

"...Thank you." she said. Haruka looked at her, surprised, but then smiled. They walked in silence for the rest of the time. They soon reached Takane's house, and just as she was about to walk inside, Haruka called out to her.

"Takane!" he said. Takane turned around. Haruka was smiling.

"See you tomorrow!" he said. Takane's eyes widened, and her mouth was set into a smile, light but firm.

"Yeah."

Her heart felt as sweetened as all the candy that she had collected today.

Halloween may not be bad after all.

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**Thank you for reading, I love you all I swear I promise to the moon and back:)))) Please review and all that stuff you know what I'm talking about, it really helps me do better, thank youuuu:))))**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	9. Autumn -side C: bamboo forest-

**Hi guys! This chapter is a little short, sorry for that, but I just really wanted to write about a bamboo forest because I've been to one and it was BEAUTIFUL. So here you go, please enjoy! :))**

**EDIT 12/17/15: THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UPDATED ON HARUKA'S BIRTHDAY (DEC 24TH). THE ONE AFTER THAT WILL FOLLOW IN A FEW DAYS ON JAN 1ST. THERE ARE SPECIAL MEANINGS FOR THESE DATES AND THAT'S WHY I'VE CHANGED THEM. THE LAST CHAPTER WILL BE UP ON FEB 15TH. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. **

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"Hey, Takane, we're here!" Takane awoke to the abrupt stopping of the bus and Haruka's excited voice. She opened her eyes groggily and rubbed them, trying to clear away the sleepiness. She yawned and looked at the window. A sign that showed the entrance of the bamboo forest stood a few meters away, and there were already many visitors streaming in. Takane stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked off the bus, following Haruka.

"I'm so excited!" said Haruka, smiling. "I wonder what it'll look like inside! I've never been to a bamboo forest before!"

"Me neither." said Takane. They walked inside the forest area. Takane had been quite surprised when Haruka invited her to a bamboo forest. She had never been to one before, and she barely even heard about these things. Also, they were going together. Just the two of them. Not with Ayano or Shintaro, but just the two of them, like those times they spent in the sun-lit classroom. After meeting Ayano and Shintaro, it had been a while since they went out alone.

The thin path that led inside the bamboo forest soon widened, and tall, green bamboos lined the sides. The bamboos stretched upwards to the sky, and it seemed as if they were already scraping the sky. The color of the bamboos ranged from dark, dark emerald green to a light, spring-like light green. There were some fallen bamboo bits, a wilted yellowy-brown, on the ground around the standing bamboos. The cool autumn wind blew, and the bamboos swayed back and forth. All around them, people were taking photos both with and of the beautiful bamboos. It was a scene right out from a movie.

Takane marveled at the beautiful scene all around her. It was like nothing she had seen before. It reminded her of the time she had gone viewing the cherry blossoms in springtime with Haruka, but this was still a little different. The cherry blossoms overflowed with a feeling of liveliness, youth, and spring. The bamboos, however, gave off the feeling of matureness, gentleness, and autumn. The change was not unsettling, but simply different. Takane couldn't resist taking out her phone and snapping a few shots at the bamboos, wanting to record this scenery forever in her heart. She looked over to Haruka, and saw that he was using a camera, one of those really professional-looking ones. Takane realized that it was the same one he had brought on their trip to view the cherry blossoms back many months ago. Haruka must have noticed her looking at his camera, because he started to explain about it.

"This is a Canon EOS100, and it's one of the more beginner-leveled cameras. It's not quite hard to use, but it really can do a lot!" he said.

"I didn't know you were into photography and stuff like that." said Takane. Haruka smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I just gained an interest for it not long ago. I got this as a present a long time ago and I haven't really used it much, so I thought I would start using it more often. And it's really really cool!" he said. "Do you want to try, Takane?" She looked up at him. Carefully, she took the camera from him. Takane put the strap around her neck for safety (she didn't want to break Haruka's things, obviously) and lifted it to her eye. She almost jumped when Haruka adjusted the position of her hands to give her the proper position of holding a camera. His touch was warm, despite the cool autumn winds blowing at his hands constantly. He was so close to her, and he had laid his chin onto Takane's head. The familiar feeling of a blush spreading over her cheeks became present and the beating of her heart increased in speed.

"That's how you hold a camera! Then you just lift it up so that you're looking through this part here, and once you get the sight you want to keep, you just press the shutter here!" said Haruka. Takane nodded slightly. She tried to get a good position of the bamboos, and realized that she liked the angle showing as if the picture was taken with the photographer being beneath the bamboos looking up. As she got the perfect picture in front of her, she pressed down on the shutter, and with a 'click', the picture was taken. Haruka took the camera from her and pressed a few buttons, showing the picture she had just taken. Takane had to admit that although she liked it, she needed to work on some photography skills.

"I'll send it to you later, Takane!" said Haruka. "I really like this picture!"

"...Thank you." said Takane. In her heart, she was quite pleased that she was being praised by Haruka. They took a few more photos, then set off to find a spot for setting up their picnic.

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Their picnic wasn't a grand and luxurious one, but obviously had an effort put forth into preparing. Takane had brought a red and white checkered picnic blanket that she had gotten from her grandmother, which they set down on the top of a small hill surrounded by the bamboos. Haruka prepared most of the food, packed all in many picnic baskets. They both sat down on the blanket, and Haruka started taking the food out and set them down. There were a few onigiri that he had brought, and Takane realized that they were hand-made. He had a few bowls of salad, and some fruits cut up into slices. Of course, the typical picnic food was brought along as well, and that was sandwiches. Cut up into small triangles, these sandwiches looked delicious. There was a toothpick piercing through the middle of each sandwich. Aside from the food, there was obviously a need for drinks as well, which was what Takane also provided. She had brought along bottles of fresh orange juice.

"This is amazing!" said Haruka. "This reminds me of when we went **hanami **in the spring!"

"That's what I was thinking before." Takane commented. Haruka smiled.

"We thought of the same thing! That's kind of magical, isn't it?" he said.

"M-Magical? That's embarrassing..." said Takane, blushing and turning away. Haruka laughed.

"Is that so? We also had a picnic during our trip! Oh, and you showed me how to play that shooting game! Did you bring your game console today, Takane?" asked Haruka. Takane nodded and took it out of her bag. Haruka's face lit up, and he rummaged through his bag and brought out his own.

"Let's play together!" he said.

They spent their picnic time eating, drinking, talking, playing, and laughing. That was how they spent their end of autumn, and start of winter.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading, I love you all:))**

**Oh, and I have a manga to recommend called Sugar Soldier. It's a shoujo manga, so if you like fluff and stuff I'm sure you'll love it! I'm loving it and I just can't help squealing at the fluff parts like seriously IT'S SO GOOD OMG.**

**See you next month!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	10. Winter -side A: Haruka's birthday-

**Hey guys, I keep forgetting to put up announcements for update date changes, I'm really sorry ;w; This story is published on December 24th because its theme is Haruka's birthday and today is, well, Haruka's birthday! The next chapter will be updated on January 1st, 2016. You can probably already guess its theme (wink).**

**It's winter now, and if you're looking for more winter-themed HaruTaka fluff, maybe you can go and look at my one-shots that I'm writing for HaruTaka Winter. I promise and guarantee they are amazing. :)**

**I hope this chapter is fluffy enough to make up for the wait. Please enjoy:))))**

* * *

_Tape 4: Winter_

_-side A: Haruka's birthday-_

_Now reading..._

* * *

The days flew by like a blur, and soon autumn became winter. The temperature dropped rapidly, and soon Takane was forced to put on thicker sweaters and coats. Also, as the weather grew colder, it was harder to get up from her warm covers, which resulted in more and more tardies to homeroom. Lunch outside was impossible, so Ayano and Shintaro came to their classroom for lunch.

Winter was also quite a special season: Haruka's birthday was in winter.

On the day of Haruka's birthday, he was going to have a birthday party. Takane was invited, of course, and so were Ayano and Shintaro. But a problem rose up to Takane: What was she going to get Haruka for his birthday? After thinking hard but still getting to no conclusion, she decided to ask other people. Since Ayano was her best friend that was a girl, Takane decided to ask her for her opinion.

"Oh, that's so cute!" Ayano screamed, her eyes sparkling. Realizing that she had been too loud, she coughed and regained her calmness.

"Of course, I suggest you give him something that he'll like. But he'll like anything that Takane-san gives him, definitely, so it's okay!" said Ayano. Well, apparently her best girl friend was not of much help, which resulted in her having to go ask for the opinion of the hikkikomori.

"Ha? What Haruka likes?" Shintaro echoed, giving her a look that made her want to smack him for his attitude. "I don't know! You spend more time with him, how would you not know?"

"I'm kindly asking you for your opinion, Kisaragi!" Takane said, anger bubbling up inside her. She was too annoyed to even hear Shintaro's answer. She had already stomped off. There was only one more person she could ask: Ayano's father, Tateyama Kenjirou, her teacher. However, right after she finished her sentence, her goddamned teacher gave her a face that made her face flush at what he was implying and quickly ran off.

"Takane? What happened? You look tired!" said Takane's grandmother, looking at Takane, who had laid her face on the cool surface of the table once she got home.

"I don't know what to get Haruka for his birthday." said Takane, turning her face to the other side bashfully.

"Oh, Takane. You don't have to worry much. A birthday present is just something to show your feelings." said her grandmother, laughing.

"But I still want to give him something that he'll like..." Takane murmured.

"Then how about this? You give him something that _you_ like." Takane looked up at her grandmother's words. "This way, even if he doesn't like it that much, you've given him something that you really like and hope to share with him."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Takane took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell to Haruka's house. She was nervous. Oh, she was _very _nervous. She had never been to Haruka's house before, she was worried that his parents wouldn't like her, and she was still doubtful of her gift. She looked down at her boots, waiting. There was a rush of footsteps and a yell of "I'll get it!" before the door opened, revealing a very happy-looking Haruka.

"Takane! You came!" he said, wrapping her in a huge hug. Her face immediately grew red.

"Of course I'd come, idiot," she said, after Haruka pulled away and they stepped into the house. "Did you think that I wouldn't?" Haruka laughed sheepishly.

"Well, I did consider the possibility, and that would be very sad! A birthday without Takane wouldn't mean much!" he said. Takane looked away, embarrassed. If his words were serious, she never knew that she had meant so much to him. A woman stepped out from inside the house, her face full of excitement.

"Ah, you must be Takane! Haruka's told me so much about you!" she said. She, Takane realized, was Haruka's mother.

"N-Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kokonose." Takane said, suddenly nervous. She held out a hand to Haruka's mother, and to her surprise, Haruka's mother clasped it with much enthusiasm.

"Oh, no, it is a pleasure to finally meet _you_, my dear! You're just as I pictured you, sweetie! Haruka's been telling me about how you're such a kind and good kid, and I can already tell-"

"Mom! I think Takane's heard enough," Haruka interrupted, his cheeks red with embarrassment. Haruka's mother laughed.

"Alright, alright! I'll leave you kids to yourselves. If you need anything, just come ask me! Haruka, there's two more kids coming, right? Let's see... Shintaro-kun and Ayano-chan?" Haruka nodded.

"Yep, I think they'll be coming soon!" said Haruka. His mother smiled.

"Okay! You two go have fun now!" she said. Haruka didn't need to be told twice. He quickly took Takane's hand and they walked up to his room. Takane had never been in a boy's room before. The mangas she had read all made it seem so different and special, but really, it was just a room that happened to belong to a boy. Haruka's room was extremely clean, not a spec of dust in sight, and definitely much tidier than Takane's. The walls were white and bare; there weren't any sort of posters of sports stars or pop idols on them. Beside the window, there was a desk with a lamp and a few books stacked on it. On the left side, there was a bookshelf and on the right side was Haruka's bed. A small, short table was placed in the middle of the room. It was a very nice room.

"You can look around if you want!" said Haruka, noticing that Takane had been studying the room. Takane nodded, and walked over to the bookshelf. There were many, many books, and as Takane looked at the titles, she saw many foreign novels as well as mangas. There were also textbooks on many different subjects. Takane walked over to Haruka's desk and saw that the books stacked up into a pile were all art books. The familiar orange and black sketchbook that Haruka always carried around lay on the table.

"You're really good at drawing..." said Takane. Haruka laughed.

"Thanks!" he said. "Although I'm still far from a pro's level... I still need to work hard!"

"Haruka, your drawing skills are already like a pro's! Unlike me... I can barely draw. I kept failing art class." said Takane, sighing as she remembered her art teacher's face every time she showed him her artwork.

"You might not be artistically talented, Takane, but you have a lot of other strengths, you know!" said Haruka cheerfully. Takane looked up at him, skeptical.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, you're amazing, Takane! You're great at video games, you're easy to talk to, you care for a lot of people even though you might not show it, you listen to everything I say, you-"

"O-Okay, okay, that's enough!..." said Takane. She turned away, feeling so, _so _embarrassed. Her face was definitely red now. The ring of the doorbell saved her from saying anything.

"It's Shintaro-kun and Ayano-chan!" said Haruka, his voice full of excitement. He and Takane ran down the stairs to greet their friends. Sure enough, there stood Shintaro, in a red jersey, and Ayano, in her familiar red scarf. Haruka's mother was greeting them, looking just as excited as Haruka (if not even more).

"Nice to meet you, I'm Haruka's mother! Shintaro-kun and Ayano-chan, am I right?" she asked. Ayano nodded and smiled brightly.

"Yes, it's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Kokonose!" she said.

"Nice to meet you." said Shintaro, nodding and bowing slightly. Haruka's mother seemed to study them for a while before asking a question.

"Are you two going out?" she asked. Takane's eyes widened in surprise at Haruka's mother's boldness. Ayano and Shintaro, on the other hand, flushed mad red.

"Ah, um, no, we're not...!" said Ayano quietly, hiding her face in her scarf. Shintaro simply looked away, trying to look calm, but his expression and his blush gave him away. Haruka's mother giggled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you both just reminded me so much of Haruka's father and I when we were young. Now, now, you both can go and hang out with Haruka! He's the center of this party, after all!" she said, and walked away.

"Happy birthday, Haruka-san! Where should I put your present?" asked Ayano, after a moment of silence.

"Thank you, Ayano-chan! You can set it in my room once we go up." said Haruka. The four friends walked up the stairs to Haruka's room. The two first-years that just arrived took their time to glance around, studying the room. They put down their presents to Haruka on the small table beside Takane's. Shintaro went over to the bookshelf and gazed at the titles.

"You have pretty good taste in manga, Haruka-senpai." he commented, pulling out two **tankoubons** of manga. One of them had the title of _Death Note_, and the other one _Steins;Gate_.

"Ah, thank you! Those two I really liked! Even though I originally only bought them to study their art style, I ended up really enjoying them! They both had very interesting main characters!" said Haruka, laughing.

"Okabe Rintaro's character _is_ very interesting." said Shintaro. Suddenly, he and Haruka did a bunch of big and exaggerated movements.

"'I am mad scientist. It's so coooool!'" said Haruka, in a tone that was dripping with **chuunibyou**.

"Sonofvabitch." Shintaro added. Both of them were in quite exaggerated positions. There was a small silence where Takane processed what just happened. She and Ayano looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Di-Did you see that?! Did you see that, Ayano-chan?!" asked Takane, between laughs. Ayano nodded furiously, laughing as well.

"Yes, I did! Shintaro... Your face..." Ayano replied, pointing at Shintaro, who had one hand with wide-spread fingers covering his face. The boys looked at each other, and they also started laughing. Takane laughed so hard that tears were swimming in her eyes. So _this_ was how happy you could be when you were with your friends...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"I'll beat you this time, you bastard!" shouted Takane, her eyes burning with determination. Her opponent sighed beside her.

"What's the point of these duels, anyways? You're too weak to win against me." he said. Takane slammed the game controller down.

"Say that again, Kisaragi, and I'll rip your bloody throat out!" she yelled.

"Since when did you start using 'bloody'?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"When the situation _bloody _calls for it!" Takane retorted. "One more round!"

"Guys, don't fight at Haruka-san's birthday party..." said Ayano nervously.

"One round." said Takane. "And that'll be it." Shintaro sighed, giving in. They both picked up their game controllers and Takane pressed play. Oh, it was a tough battle, which was a good thing. Every other time they played against each other, Shintaro would take the lead and take all her prey, but no, not this time. Takane moved her fingers as fast as she could across the game controller, so fast that they started to hurt, but she kept going. She was going to beat this guy once and for all-

The game ended. And guess what? The bastard still won.

"Fuck-" Takane cursed, but Haruka pulled on her sleeve to draw her attention. He pointed at the score.

"But Takane, you were only 300 points away!" said Haruka. Takane glanced at the score and realized that he was right. Only 300 points. That meant shooting one more big object. That was the closest that she had ever gotten to Shintaro.

"Next time I'll beat you!" said Takane proudly.

"I've heard you say that a million times already, but finally it has gotten some sense of reality to it." said Shintaro. Takane put down the game controller and stretched.

"Everyone! Dinner's ready!" Haruka's mother called from downstairs. Haruka's eyes lit up at the mention of food.

"Let's go!" he said. The four of them quickly ran down the stairs and went into the dining room. A feast was placed before their eyes. There were so many dishes in front of them, and everyone's seats were marked with small tablecloths of different colors. Takane's was dark blue, Haruka's was yellow, Shintaro's was red, and Ayano's was a lighter shade of red. The quartet sat down in their seats. Haruka's mother poured the drinks for all of them; she poured orange juice in both Haruka and Takane's glasses, water in Ayano's, and coke in Shintaro's.

"I heard that Ayano-chan preferred water and Shintaro-kun liked coke." explained Haruka's mother after seeing their looks of confusion.

"Ah, thank you so much, Mrs. Kokonose! That was very thoughtful of you!" said Ayano, smiling. Haruka's mother smiled back.

"Oh, you're welcome, sweetheart! Now, now, let the feast begin!" she said. After a meal full of talking, laughing, and eating, the cake was brought onto the table. It was a lemon cake, and it looked delicious.

"Let's sing 'Happy Birthday'!" exclaimed Ayano.

"Ah, you guys don't have to if you don't want to..." said Haruka, but his sparkling eyes gave him away.

"We can see that you want us to in your eyes, idiot." said Takane. Haruka smiled sheepishly.

"Well, to be honest, it would be quite nice..." he said.

"Okay, then! On 3, 2, 1-"

"Happy birthday to you,

happy birthday to you,

happy birthday to Haruka,

_happy birthday to you-!"_

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"Haruka-senpai, shouldn't you open your presents?" asked Shintaro. Haruka's eyes lit up at that suggestion.

"Okay! I've always wanted to open my presents in front of everyone!" he said happily. He went and gathered up the boxes of gifts and put them on the short table, where everyone was gathering around.

"I'll open this one first!" said Haruka, reaching for the brown bag, which looked quite stuffed. There wasn't any wrapping inside, so the gift was quite exposed. It was a whole bunch of mangas. There were 12 volumes in total, and it looked like a full set.

"This is the whole set of the manga _ARISA _by Andou Natsumi. It's very good, and I thought you would be able to study the art style while enjoy reading it. Not your typical shoujo manga." said Shintaro, who had prepared the gift. Haruka nodded furiously, glancing at the books excitedly.

"Thank you, Shintaro-kun! I really love it, and I'll tell you what I think of it once I finish!" he said, smiling brightly. The tips of Shintaro's mouth stretched upwards into a smile.

"I'm glad you liked it." he said. Next, Haruka reached for the box wrapped in pink.

"Ah, that's mine!" said Ayano. "I don't have a lot of faith in the present, but I hope you'll like it, Haruka-san!" Haruka nodded, looking curious. He tore away the wrapping paper carefully, making sure it wasn't ripped and still in one piece. He opened the box and brought out a beautiful candle. It was a very pretty mint green in color, and Haruka's face lit up in wonder.

"It's a very nice-smelling candle! I picked this one with the scent of summer!" said Ayano. Haruka unscrewed the lid and brought it up to his nose to smell.

"It smells amazing...!" he said. Ayano let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that's great..." she said, smiling. Takane's heart started beating faster as Haruka reached for his last gift. The gift she prepared for him. She was so nervous. Haruka opened this present with extra care, and the moment he saw it, his smile widened.

"They're amazing, Takane!" said Haruka, examining it from many different angles. Takane couldn't help but giggle to herself. Haruka was like a little kid who had gotten what he wanted.

She had bought him a set of headphones. It was the same brand and type as her favorite ones; these ones had great sound quality and they didn't even break when Takane dropped them on cement. She adored these headphones and they were her life. She didn't know what she would do without them.

_That's why... She wanted to share something that was this precious to her... With her precious Haruka._

"Thank you, Takane! I really love it! I'll definitely use them!" he said, a wide smile spreading across his face. Takane smiled.

_But it's not like she'll tell him or anything._

* * *

**Happy birthday to our dearest Haruka, may all his wishes come true. Also, Merry Christmas to all my readers out there! A Christmas present for me could be a review. Just saying. (hint hint)**

**Thanks for reading, and see you soon!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	11. Winter -side B: New Year's eve-

**I'm uploading this at exactly when the clock hits twelve and we leap into a new year. Happy New Year, everyone! It's been a great year with you all, thanks for sticking with my stories and my writing and I just love you all so much. Like seriously, come over here for a big hug everyone.**

**This chapter is a little short, but I can totally make up for that. Because this story, Evening Yesterday, will have three endings. Yep, you heard it here first! THREE endings! That way, you can pick how you like this story to end. There'll be a happy end, true end, and a bad end. Just like in visual novels. All these endings are up to one single choice by one character. You guys pumped for the ending? At least I am! Be sure to read all three endings and review them all and tell me which one you like the most!**

**Enough from me. On with the story.**

* * *

A few days has passed since Haruka's birthday, and the year was coming to a close. Thinking back on what had happened, it really had been an eventful and wild year. Meeting Ayano and Shintaro was amazing. It felt as if they had been friends for such a long time already, where really, only a year had passed. She had so much fun when she and her friends went out together. The Enomoto Takane from a year ago would have hated going outside and spent her days cooped up in her room playing video games, but no. She was different now, and it was thanks to Haruka. He was the one who invited her to go outside and have fun all those times, and the times she had with him were much better than the ones she had shooting at zombies and monsters.

It was now the last day of the year. Takane sat on a cushion, her body warmed wonderfully by her **kotatsu**. She had just finished her dinner including things like **mochi **and **soba**, and she was now peeling a Mandarin orange while watching **Kohaku Uta Gassen**. It was now, what, the 66th? Yeah, something like that. Currently, an idol group of nine was performing on stage, and Takane couldn't deny that they were sparkling on stage. The song was also quite catchy as well.

She brought out the postcards that she received and reread them. They really did warm her heart and reminded her that someone like her had amazing friends like these. The first one was from Ayano. It was in a beautiful light red, and there was a flower design on the envelope. Ayano's siblings also sent Takane postcards. They had gotten to know each other a bit, and Takane thought that they were wonderful people. Tsubomi sent her a beautiful purple postcard, Kousuke sent a green one, and Shuuya sent a grey one. Marry also sent Takane a beautiful pink postcard. Shintaro also sent her one, and in small words he noted that his sister had made him send it. Momo also sent her one as well, and so did Momo's friend Hibiya. Of course, Haruka sent Takane a postcard as well.

Haruka's postcard read: "Takane, happy new year! It's been an amazing year with you, and I can't imagine life without you! I hope for your favor again in the coming year!" Takane smiled as she read it over and over again. Finally, she put it down and turned her attention back to the TV. However, the warmth from the kotatsu was overwhelming, and soon, she fell fast asleep...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Takane woke up to the ringing of her phone. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and picked up, not even pausing to glance at the screen to check who it was.

"Takane! Are you getting ready?" It was Haruka. Takane glanced at the clock and all her sleepiness faded. It was 11:47 PM. She had missed the end of Kohaku and she didn't get to see who won. And she had to get ready to go **hatsumode** with Haruka, Ayano, and Shintaro. At this rate, she'll be late.

"Shit!" Takane exclaimed. "Sorry, gotta get ready. I fell asleep." On the other side, Haruka laughed.

"That's okay! That happens to me a lot. Anyways, I'll hang up so you can get ready. See you there, Takane!" With that, Haruka hung up. Takane stood up quickly and ran upstairs to get dressed properly. Her grandmother came in at just the right time and without a word, she helped Takane wear her **kimono**. She rarely wore kimonos, and she didn't really like them either. Kimonos were hard to move in and way too formal for her. However, special occasions called for special clothing.

"Now, Takane, you'd better get going!" said Takane's grandmother. Takane nodded.

"Thanks, Grandma!" said Takane, before hurrying out the door. Her grandmother has done so many things for her, and Takane made a mental note to thank her properly afterwards. It was almost impossible to run in her kimono, so she had to walk quickly. She managed to arrive at the shrine in a few minutes, and she saw that her friends were there already.

"Sorry, sorry! I fell asleep while watching Kohaku. The kotatsu was too warm." said Takane apologetically. "Who won, by the way?"

"Red." said Shintaro. "They haven't won in a while." The quartet headed into the shrine, talking and laughing, and the first thing they did was buy **o-mikuji**. These fortunes were quite important. After they all payed and got their o-mikuji, the quartet opened them and read the description in silence. Takane's o-mikuji read "**han-kichi**", a half blessing. She skimmed over most of the fortunes. Most of the comments for the categories were quite positive, with predictions and recommendations on how to act. She had decided to read it carefully later when she got home, but the romance fortune caught her eye. It read: "Everything is up to a single choice."

What did that mean? Whose choice? What could happen if the wrong choice was made? Did she have to make that choice...? She shook her head. It wasn't time to worry about these things.

"What did you get, Takane-san?" asked Ayano.

"Half blessing." Takane replied. "What about you, Ayano-chan?"

"I got small blessing!" said Ayano, smiling.

"I got middle blessing." said Shintaro.

"Eh?! That's pretty good!" said Ayano, smiling. She seemed happier for Shintaro's fortune than her own.

"What about you, Haruka?" asked Takane, peering at Haruka's fortune. Haruka quickly put it in his pocket.

"Um, I got ending blessing..." he said. Takane narrowed her eyes. Something about Haruka's actions made him suspicious, but she let it go. They all got a cup of **sake **and after drinking it, they walked to the middle of the shrine and waited for the **bell-ringing**.

"But can you believe it? There's only a few minutes left of this year!" said Haruka excitedly.

"I know, right? I'm so excited!" said Ayano. Takane was about to reply, but the bell-ringing had started already. It rang once, twice, thrice...

"Takane..." On the 107th ring, Haruka uttered her name. Takane turned to look at him, and he smiled at her. The bell rang one last time, the sound resonating throughout the whole shrine. A booming flower bloomed in the sky, followed by many others.

"Happy new year!" Takane's eyes widened as she gazed at Haruka's smiling face, and the fireworks in the sky behind him and the echo of the bell made it seem... Magical.

She finally realized it. The pounding of her heart when he got close, the nervousness she felt when talking to him, the happiness of being beside him, she finally realized what it all meant.

She loved Haruka.


	12. Winter -side C TRUE END: Frosty Noon-

Ever since the new year started, Haruka invited Takane to go outside even more frequently. They would have plans every single day, going to place after place. However, Takane didn't mind at all. That meant she would be able to see Haruka every day. She would be able to see _the person she loved_ everyday.

Takane woke up to the sound of pebbles tapping at her window. She rolled over and glanced at her clock, which read 6:30. In the fucking morning. She rolled back over and attempted to go back to sleep, but the pebbles kept tapping. She couldn't bear it anymore. She stormed over to her window and threw it open.

"What the fuck do you want-" she yelled.

"Ah, um..." The figure started, looking a little startled. Takane realized with a start that it was Haruka. Her face heated up immediately. That was so embarrassing...!

"H-Haruka! U-um, I'll be right down!" The moment she finished her sentence, she slammed the window closed. She fell to a crouching position, her palms pressed against her heating face. But it wasn't time to do that now. She quickly got dressed, throwing on a sweater, pants, boots, a thick coat, a scarf, and a pair of gloves. She ran downstairs as fast as she could and out to the sidewalk, where Haruka was standing.

"Sorry for waking you up so early, Takane... I should have came later..." said Haruka, looking guilty.

"N-no, it's okay!" Takane said quickly. "...So, why'd you come?" Haruka smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I wanted to see if Takane had time today as well!" he said.

"...You could have just texted me. You didn't have to come all the way here..." said Takane.

"Well, here I am now!" said Haruka, laughing. "Do you have time today, Takane? Today's the last day before school starts again!"

"Do you have a plan or anything?" asked Takane. That was her way of saying "yes". But Haruka didn't mind at all, and his smile widened.

"Well, I haven't played in the snow in a long time, so I thought maybe we could do that today!" he answered. "I want to make a snowman! And I want to make snow angels! Oh, and then we could have a snowball fight!" Takane couldn't help but laugh. That was so _Haruka _of him.

"Alright then."

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"Ah, that was so fun!" said Haruka, smiling like an idiot. Takane couldn't help but smile as well. She hadn't played with snow ever since she was, what, ten? It felt like she was reliving her childhood. Not that it was worth reliving. But she was reliving a childhood that was made better by Haruka.

"Did you have fun, Takane?" asked Haruka. Takane looked up at him, surprised.

"...Yeah." She decided to answer honestly.

"That's great!" he exclaimed.

"...Let's do this again sometime." said Takane. Haruka's smile seemed to falter, but it was only for a second, so Takane wasn't sure if she saw correctly.

"Um, yeah! Definitely!" he said. "...It's getting late now, so I think I'll head back!" Takane nodded.

"Okay." she said. Haruka smiled, and he started to walk away. Takane clenched her fists. She should say it.

"H-Haruka!" she called after him. Haruka turned around to look at her. "S-See you tomorrow!" He looked a little surprised, but he smiled.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

As she watched Haruka's figure get smaller and smaller in the distance, Takane silently decided that she would tell him tomorrow.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Today was the day. The day that she'll tell him her true feelings.

Oh, her heart was beating like crazy. Takane had never felt _this _nervous for anything before. Even before tests or her game competitions, she didn't feel quite as nervous. Now, her heart was going mad, and even her teeth had started to chatter, not because of the winter weather.

How is she even going to put these feelings into words? A simple "I love you"? Would that do? Or would it have to be something fancy? But she was horrible at thinking of witty things. She couldn't do that. Currently, she was only one step from going into the classroom. Literally. She needed to make up her mind.

How about starting from a simple "good morning"...?

Her eyes widened. Yes. That was it! She had never, ever said "good morning" to Haruka in her life before, even though he was always saying it to her. She'll say "good morning", and then tell him...!

Takane pulled the door aside, after gathering up her courage, and stepped into the sunlit classroom that they had spent so much of their time in...

"Good morni-"

Her greeting was cut short by the sight of the vase of white flowers placed on the desk beside hers.

Her grip on her bag loosened out of shock, making it fall to the ground. Her eyes were wide, and she could barely breathe. The only thing she could tell herself was: "This isn't true."

Taking a few shaky steps to her seat, she sat down. She was trembling terribly.

Suddenly, her phone rang with her text tone. She dug it out of her pocket with her quivering hands and glanced at screen. Her heart leapt when she saw who it was from. Her screen showed a single name:

Kokonose Haruka.

It was from him. He's still alive and well. He isn't... dead! Takane opened up the mail eagerly. The title read two single, simple words:

"To Takane".

The text had no writing; instead, it consisted of two attachments. The first one was a voice recording, and the second one was a picture. She put on her headphones and connected them to her phone. She opened the voice recording, and pressed play. It was Haruka's voice.

_"Hi, Takane!... It's kind of weird recording this for your when we were together just a few minutes ago. But anyways._

_When you receive this text, I'll probably be dead already."_

At this, Takane sucked in a breath of air. Her gaze turned to the flowers that sat on his desk. It couldn't be. That's not true. Tears started to well up in her eyes, and they spilled out within seconds.

_"After our hatsumode visit to the shrine, my doctor told me that he had something to tell me, so I went to the hospital._

_He told me that I had a choice._

_Either have an operation with a 50% chance of success and stay in the hospital for a little more than a month, or live fully for a little more than a month and reach the goal line of my life. _

_Well, as you can probably tell already, I chose the latter._

_Because I didn't want to loose any time with you, Takane._

_You see, the operation only had a 50% chance of success. That's... not a lot. Even if I decide to have the operation, I still might die. I'll loose even more time with Takane that way. And I don't want that._

_My doctor told me that if I choose to not accept the operation, then my life will end on this day, with no exceptions. "The world doesn't have any miracles, Haruka-kun," he told me. "And I am no miracle-maker."_

_So I decided to spend my last day with the person that is most important to me._

_Hey, Takane, do you remember how we met?_

_I remember it so clearly._

_I've been in the hospital ever since I was very young, and I haven't ever explored the outside world. The doctors all told me: "Haruka-kun, you don't have to push yourself too much!" I've always known that I wouldn't be able to live for a long time. I knew I never had and will never have a normal life like all the other kids._

_When I could finally go to school, I've been in the nurse's office most of the time. I couldn't attend gym at all. And I didn't have friends either._

_But then, when I got to high school, I met my first friend._

_That's you, Takane._

_I loved every moment in that classroom with you. The times in that classroom were like a dream, so wonderful yet so fragile._

_I loved viewing the sakuras in the park with you. The flowers were so beautiful, and I had lots of fun._

_I loved going to that amusement park with everyone. Even though my doctor said that I should refrain from the park rides, I still went on them, and that was the right decision._

_I loved going to the beach with everyone. The cold water was the best cure for the hot weather._

_I loved the trip to the summer festival with you. I told you something during the fireworks, but you didn't seem to hear._

_I loved cheering for Momo-chan at her concert with everyone. Momo-chan was really sparkling on stage._

_I loved watching the leaves change color with everyone. It signalized the start of autumn, the start of a new season._

_I loved going Trick-or-Treating with everyone. It was so nice to meet so many new people._

_I loved going to the bamboo forest with you. The bamboos were so beautiful, and I had lots of fun._

_I loved having a birthday party and having so much fun with everyone. I loved the presents dearly, and it was the best._

_I loved the hatsumode visit and waiting for the new year with everyone. It was so festive, and it was astonishing."_

_I loved playing in the snow with you today. I haven't played in the snow for a long time._

Takane simply listened to Haruka recount all their times together. The memories were so big that her head felt as if it would explode. They were so happy, enjoying themselves completely. And yet, now...

_"Thank you, Takane._

_I've had an immense amount of fun and happiness in this life._

_It's alright now. I can let everything go now._

_...I love you, Takane._

_Not just in that friend way._

_If I had a longer life, then I would have asked you to my girlfriend. But now... I guess there's no more time. _

_Honestly, I've wondered if I should really tell you what I feel. I'm only a passerby in your life. I shouldn't hold you back with anything. But if I don't tell you... I'll definitely regret it for eternity."_

Suddenly, Haruka's voice became choked and Takane realized, with a start, that he was crying. She had never seen Haruka sad, much less hear him cry. The sound of Haruka crying made her even sadder. She wanted to wrap her hands around him, give him a hug, and tell him that it's alright. He was the kindest person she had ever met, and it pained her that he was so sad. He deserved a normal childhood, a healthy body, a happy life... He deserved so much better.

_"Ahaha, I'm sorry, Takane... I shouldn't cry. But..._

_I just... Don't want to die...!"_

Takane had thought that she couldn't cry any more tears. All her tears had been already used up, she had thought. But no. More tears rolled down her cheeks at Haruka's words, and the both of them cried together.

_"Enomoto Takane-san._

_I love you. I love you. I love you._

_Please... Don't forget about me._

_Thank you._

_Goodbye."_

With that, the audio recording ended. Takane didn't know what to say or feel. Too many feelings swam around in her heart, but the most prominent one made itself clear.

It was regret.

Takane clicked open the picture that Haruka had attached. Her eyes widened.

It was a picture of Haruka. He must have took it yesterday, right after he recorded the message. It was a selfie. Haruka had a stupid smile on his face, even though there were tear stains on his face, and he wore a pair of headphones. _The same pair that Takane gave him for his birthday._ He also hugged a stuffed animal of a triceratops. _The same one that Takane got him at the summer festival._

"...No.. Don't go yet...!" Takane murmured. "I still haven't told you... I still haven't..."

She couldn't hold it in anymore.

Takane let out a huge wail, and she wept. The one she loved was dead. Gone forever. Her precious Haruka.

After her throat started to hurt so much that she couldn't cry anymore, she took a few wobbly steps to Haruka's desk. She looked at the wooden desk, running her fingers over it. They caught something rough, and Takane wiped away her tears and squinted to see what it was.

It was a simple sentence carved into the desk with a carving knife.

"I love you, Takane."

She wiped away the tears that had come rolling down her cheeks once she saw this. She opened up the picture on her phone once more, and she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you too, Haruka."

_Goodbye._


	13. Winter -side C BAD END: Stormy Night-

Just a few days after their hatsumode visit, Haruka's mother contacted her.

"Takane, I need to tell you something." she said. Her voice was choked. Takane listened intently, sitting down on her chair. "Haruka... He's dead." Takane felt her eyes widen, and she would have dropped her phone if she hadn't held onto it tightly. She gripped it so hard that she thought she would crush the phone. She thought that the whole world was frozen in time and her heart had stopped beating. It seemed like forever until Haruka's mother spoke.

"Takane? Are you there?" she asked. Takane quickly steadied herself.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm here." she said, taking a deep breath.

"Haruka's funeral is on Sunday. Will you come?" asked Haruka's mother. Takane nodded slightly, even though her gesture wouldn't be seen by the person on the other side.

"Yeah... I'll be there." said Takane.

"I'll send you the address later. That'll be it for now, see you." said Haruka's mother.

"Yeah... Thanks, Mrs. Kokonose." said Takane, and she hung up.

Haruka... Was dead?

That's... weird...

What did that... mean...?

Takane put on her headphones and played one of her favorite songs, shaking away all her thoughts.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The days flew by and finally, Sunday came. Takane wore a beautiful sleeveless black dress with black lace trimming and a pair of heavy black lace-up boots. She also wore a beautiful pearl necklace. Over her dress, she wore a black leather jacket. Her hair was not tied in her usual pigtails, but in a princess hairstyle. She was extremely gorgeous, yet so unlike the event she was attending.

She took the subway and soon arrived at the place. The place where Haruka's funeral would be held. She went up to the second floor by escalator and found the hall the Kokonose family had booked. There were a group of people standing outside the hall already. Takane could see Haruka's mother, Ayano, and Shintaro already. Seeing that Takane came, Ayano and Shintaro stepped aside from the group of adults and went to her side.

"Takane-san...!" said Ayano, giving her a big hug. Takane was a bit surprised, but returned the hug. "I know how painful it must have been... It's okay, Takane-san..."

"I'm fine, Ayano-chan, really. I'm fine." said Takane. Ayano released her and gave her a bouquet of flowers.

"Mrs. Kokonose ordered these. We'll need them when we go in." she said. Takane nodded. She then turned her attention towards Shintaro, who had stayed silent the whole time and who Takane hadn't looked at carefully yet. Her eyes widened. Shintaro's eyes were red from crying, and his face held the tracks of the tears that once rolled down his cheeks. His hair was messy, and although it seemed like he had tried to make it neater for this occasion, nothing really worked well. His expression was solemn, and he didn't say a thing.

Takane didn't know what to say. Even though she was never particularly nice to Shintaro, he was still one of her friends and deep inside, she _did _care about him. She was about to say something to him when the doors of the hall opened and it was time for them to go in. The three of them followed the adults in and they all stood in lines. There were many flower baskets placed around the hall, and at the front of the hall was a picture of Haruka.

He was smiling brightly. However, the smile was frozen in the black and white picture.

The funeral opened up with a speech from Haruka's father. Takane had never met him before, but she had heard about him from Haruka's mother.

"Ever since Haruka was a little kid, he knew that he wouldn't be able to live for very long. He always stayed in the hospital, and he was not allowed to leave it. He was simply too frail to. He didn't have a normal life like all the other kids, and he knew that he wouldn't have one. Haruka has been living with the end of his life already marked down. He knew that he would die at the age of 16." Takane heard Ayano gasp from beside her, and she noticed that Shintaro's fists were clenched. None of them ever knew about what Haruka had hid behind that smiling face of his.

"But he never made it hard for anyone. He's such a kind boy, and he's the best son I can ever hope for. We gather here not to cry over his death; we are here to send him off to a better place. No matter what happens, he will be my son forever." Haruka's father's speech ended. They bowed thrice towards the front of the room, where the coffin was. Haruka's parents then went to the front of the room and took out a bag.

"They're filling the coffin with Haruka-senpai's favorite things." said Shintaro. Takane noticed that Haruka was wearing his school uniform. That was how much he loved the school. His parents put a few books that he liked in his coffin. They put his light blade from Momo's concert in. They put in the stuffed toy triceratops that Takane won for him, and the pair of headphones Takane gave him for his birthday. They then put a few flowers in and then stepped back. The first row of people advanced to the coffin and put the flowers they had held in their hands into the coffin.

"We need to take the buds off the flowers in this bouquet and put it in." said Shintaro. When it was their turn, Takane took a few shaky steps up to Haruka's coffin.

He looked so pale, so weak, so... Lifeless. His eyes were closed, just as if he was sleeping. The tips of his mouth were curving upwards into a slight smile. Takane took off the flowers and placed them in the coffin. Her hands brushed against Haruka's for a second, and her eyes widened.

It was cold.

That was when the fact finally sunk in: Haruka was dead. He was dead, and he was gone, and he would never return to her side ever again.

Haruka would never be able to comfort her anymore. Haruka would never be able to draw for her anymore. She would never be able to feel his hug surrounding her anymore. She would never be able to talk with him, or pinch his cheeks.

She would never be able to see that smile again.

The rest of the funeral was a blur. None of that mattered anymore. Haruka was dead. _He was dead. _Just as she was about to leave after it ended and she had said goodbye to her friends, Haruka's parents caught up to her.

"I just wanted to give something to you." said Haruka's mother. "This is from the both of us, and although Haruka didn't tell us to give it to you, we knew he would have wanted to." She took a familiar object out from her bag. Takane's eyes widened.

It was Haruka's sketchbook.

The sketchbook was battered and shabby. It was obvious that it had been used many, many times. The familiar orange and black pattern was on the cover. Takane took it within her shaking hands. Haruka's father stepped up to her and held out a hand.

"I realize we've never formally met. I'm Haruka's father, nice to meet you." he said. Takane took his hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Kokonose. I'm-"

"Enomoto Takane-san. I know. Haruka has mentioned you so many times." Haruka's father cut her off. "Although he never confirmed it himself, but I'm sure that he loved you. Very, very deeply."

"Not just as a friend, my dear. He loved you." said Haruka's mother. "If you just take a look at the sketchbook, I'm sure you'll know." They said their goodbyes and Takane left. She went straight back to her house and up to her room, slamming the door. She quickly sat down on her bed and opened up the sketchbook. The contents inside made her gasp and tear up.

It was filled with drawings of _her. _Drawings of Takane with so many different expressions, and in so many different occasions. Takane noticed that he had drawn a picture for all of their outings over the year, with only her in the picture. She was so beautiful in these drawings, and Takane flipped through the pages while the tears fell. She soon came to the last page, the last drawing. It was a drawing of her and Haruka himself, holding hands.

Takane couldn't hold it in anymore. She closed the sketchbook and clutched it close to her chest, close to her heart. She let out a huge wail, and held onto the sketchbook like nothing else mattered.

Nothing else _did _matter.

"Idiot," Takane murmured, through sniffles. "You could have told me you loved me all along."

_Because I love you too. _


	14. Winter -side C HAPPY END: Sunny Day-

Right after the new year started, Haruka seemed to disappear entirely from the world.

No phone call. No text. No email. Just dead silence.

Takane looked everywhere for him. She went to the Tateyamas, wondering if they knew anything.

"Hm? Haruka-san? No, I didn't see him... Dad! Did you see Haruka-san these days?" Ayano called. Kenjirou walked out to the doorway from inside the house.

"Hm? Haruka? Didn't see him..." he said, looking like he was thinking hard.

"Is that so..." said Takane.

"Is something wrong?" asked Kenjirou.

"Did Haruka-san go missing?" asked Ayano. Takane quickly shook her head.

"No, it's fine. Sorry for disturbing." she said, and she left.

She went to Shintaro's. Since Shintaro and Haruka were good friends (better friends than she expected them to be), she thought that Shintaro might know where he went.

"Haruka-senpai?" Shintaro echoed. "Didn't see him ever since our hatsumode visit. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Thanks." said Takane, and left.

She checked the school, their classroom, all the food stores he liked, all the places they've been to together, the park... But he was nowhere to be found.

She even went to his house and asked his parents. Haruka's mother only looked a little sad.

"I'm sorry, dear, but Haruka's not at home. I don't think you should look for him. He's... A little busy and he shouldn't be disturbed." Takane tried to hide her disappointment.

"Alright. I'm sorry for disturbing you, Mrs. Kokonose." she gave a hasty bow and ran. She ran until she was out of breath, panting and coughing.

Where are you, Haruka...?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Even after a month, Haruka did not turn up. Takane hated the silence from him. She needed an answer, an answer about his disappearance. He can't just appear in and disappear from her life like this.

She had already lost count how many times she had cried at night, wishing he was by her side. It was the dead silence from him that scared her the most.

She woke up to find her pillow wet with her tears. Nevertheless, she got up and put on the uniform she hadn't worn in such a long time. It was back-to-school day, and she yawned. She hated waking up this early. After a hasty breakfast, she walked to school. Takane couldn't help but glance at the spot beside her, where Haruka usually was. Where he should be.

Takane slid open the door to the classroom, sighing and closing her eyes. It wouldn't be the same without Haruka. Nothing would be.

When she opened her eyes again, a familiar figure sat in the opposite seat. The same black hair, the same eyes, the same small birthmark on his right cheek, the same smile. It was...

"Haru...ka...?" Takane asked quietly, her eyes wide. Haruka - yes, he is definitely Haruka! - turned to look at her, and his smile grew even bigger when he saw her.

"Ah, Takane! Good morni-"

"IDIOT!" Haruka's energetic greeting was cut off by Takane's shout. He looked quite surprised at Takane's sudden outburst. Takane herself was shaking, and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Why didn't you contact me for such a long time?! You were totally gone from the world! There wasn't a word from you! I looked everywhere for you! I was so worried! I thought you were dead!" Takane yelled. There was a small silence after her outburst.

"Takane's... Angry at me, right?" asked Haruka, looking sad. Takane walked into the classroom and stood in front of him. She clenched her fists.

"Of course I am! The person that I love so much, disappearing from the world so suddenly, how could I not be?!" Takane shouted, looking into his eyes for this first time in a long time. Haruka's eyes widened. He smiled, and took Takane's hands.

"I'm so sorry for disappearing." he said, kindness overflowing from his voice.

"You should be." said Takane, her voice choked. Haruka laughed. Then suddenly, his expression became serious.

"After our hatsumode visit to the shrine, my doctor told me that he had something to tell me, so I went to the hospital. He told me that I had a choice." he said. Takane only listened quietly to Haruka's story.

"Either have an operation with a 50% chance of success and stay in the hospital for a little more than a month, or live fully for a little more than a month and reach the goal line of my life." said Haruka. Takane couldn't help but gasp at that. Haruka noticed that, and he laughed a bit.

"If it was the old me, then I would have chosen to not accept the operation. I was actually almost going to not accept it." Seeing that Takane was about to say something, he quickly continued. "The operation only had a 50% chance of success. That's... not a lot. Even if I decide to have the operation, I still might die."

"But as I thought of all our moments together, I couldn't help but wish for more of those happy times. That's why I decided to try it out, even if the possibilities were low. _You _were the reason for my choice, Takane. You made me want to fight. You made me want the times that we were together to continue. I wanted... To be with the girl I love, no matter what." he said, smiling. Usually, Takane would have blushed hard, but today, she couldn't help but smile as the tears fell.

"I spent the whole month in the hospital, with my phone and everything taken away from me. I couldn't talk to anyone either, so I couldn't get the word out to you. My parents thought that it'd be better if you didn't know about this before we were completely sure that the operation was successful. I prayed every day that I would be able to return to your side. And so... A miracle occurred. Thank you, Takane. I've had an immense amount of fun and happiness in this life. In this life that will go on." said Haruka. Takane couldn't take it anymore. She threw her arms around Haruka. _Her_ Haruka, who won't disappear from her life anymore.

"Haruka...! I love you, Haruka! I love you!" she weeped. Haruka smiled and hugged her back.

"Yeah. I love you too, Takane." he said.

At this moment, nothing else could stand in their way. They were finally together, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

**I cannot believe that _Evening Yesterday_ has finally ended! This has been an amazing journey along with all my readers, and I just cannot believe that it has come to an end. I've spent so long trying to think of this idea, and honestly, this is probably my masterpiece. A big, big thank you to all my readers, you are definitely my motivation! I love you all so much, thank you so much for sticking with me! If you've ever reviewed, then I promise you that your words have made me grin so much. If you haven't, here's your chance right now! Please tell me what you think of this story, I would really appreciate it. **

**This story was originally going to end with only one ending, which is the true end, but that would have been way too painful to take in. So that's why I went and created the other two endings, to make it just like a visual novel. It's pretty cool, actually, how everything can change with Haruka's decision.**

**If there's anything you did not understand or have a question about, feel free to come ask me! Don't be shy or scared to message me haha, I'm pretty nice :) I'll definitely keep writing, _Blindfold Gang _is still going on and I'll still write oneshots, and oh there'll actually be a really cool ShinAya story coming soon, so you might want to check it out! **

**I want to thank each and every one of my readers, no matter if you've stuck with this story ever since it started or if you only picked it up a while ago, thank you so much for reading! I'll be waiting for your comments and reviews. :))))**

**See you soon!**

**~Chinnie Ai 2/15/16**


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